Studies on the behaviour and reproduction of the royal penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus schlegeli)

Abstract

The penguins (family Spheniscidae) are widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The distribution is circumpolar in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, and ranges north to the southern coasts of Africa, Australasia and South America, where the range extends northwards up the western coast, and across to the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is the most northern species, while the Emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri) and the Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are confined to the Antarctic . Although most species of penguins are found in the warmer zones of the Southern Hemisphere, and in many cases close to inhabited coasts, comparatively little is known about their biology. By contrast, the biology of the penguins of the remote sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic continent is well documented for a number of species. This anomalous situation is probably a result of the great interest shown in the Antarctic regions following Cook's voyages (1768-71 and 1772-75), and the comparatively limited number of species found in these regions.