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			PENGUIN COLONIES AND KINDS
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LOCATION OF COLONIES
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QUESTION: Where are the different colonies of penguins located?

ANSWER from Dr. Michael Castellini on February 13, 1995:
There are penguin colonies all over the shoreline of the continent. 
However, Emperor colonies have been found on Ross Island, Cape 
Washington and the coast line of the Ross Sea.  This is south of New 
Zealand. Also, on the coast south of India and just south of South 
America. Adelie rookeries are at many of the same places. But, the 
Antarctic is a large place and not well explored. There may be 
rookeries that no one has ever seen!


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FIRST APPEARANCE IN ANTARCTICA
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QUESTION: Penguins have not always been on the Antarctic 
continent. When did they first start appearing there and what pushed 
them to such a difficult environment?

ANSWER from Michael Castellini on January 20th:
The answer lies in the fact that Antarctica has not always been at the 
South Pole! There also used to be dinosaurs and palm trees there. I 
would guess that the penguins were all over the southern hemisphere 
(they still are) and just drifted with the Antarctic as it moved around. 
There used to be a similar birds to penguins in the northern hemisphere 
(the great auk), but it was wiped out by hunters about a hundred years 
ago!


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YEAR-ROUND RESIDENTS
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QUESTION: Are there any birds that are permanent residents of 
Antarctica?

ANSWER from Polly Penhale on February 2, 1995:
We can answer this question for the continental part of Antarctica, 
where McMurdo Station is located, because the scientists here know 
this area very well. They consider the Emperor penguin to be a year-
round resident, since it breeds on the sea ice in the Antarctic winter 
and raises its chicks here in the Antarctic summer. The birds do go to 
sea to molt, but are essentially here around the year. This is unlike the 
birds here such as skuas, which are only summertime residents.


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ONLY IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
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QUESTION: Why are penguins in Antarctica and not on other 
continents in the world?

ANSWER from Diane Stoecker January 6, 1995:
Dear Sarah, There are penguins associated with some other continents, 
but you are right, they are all associated with cold, southern 
hemisphere waters.  There are penguins in southern South America, 
New Zealand and South Africa, but not as many as in Antarctica and 
the sub-Antarctica islands. 

I don't know why penguins evolved in the southern hemisphere and not 
in the northern hemisphere. Perhaps the presence of large, terrestrial 
predators, such as wolves and bears, in the Arctic has something to do 
with it.  I think penguin colonies would be very susceptible to wolf and 
bear predation. Any ideas why there aren't any wolves and bears in 
Antarctica?