Penguins 

Penguins are one of about 40 species of flightless birds, a category that also includes the ostrich, rhea, cassowary, emu and kiwi.

Penguins live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, on Antarctic, New Zealand, and the southern tips of South America and Africa.

Penguins typically live on islands or others secluded areas where there is minimal threat from land predators.

The ideal climate for these flightless birds depends on the species. For example, the Galápagos penguins live on tropical islands while the Emperor and Adélie penguins are found on the ice of Antarctic.

Unlike most others birds, penguins can't fly. They waddle on land and swim in the sea. When swimming fast, they jump out of the water every few meters, just like dolphins do.

The top layer of a penguin's skin is made of thousands of small, stiff feathers. The air between the feathers is good insulation. To make their 'coat' even more water- and windproof penguins spread some oil on it (this oil comes from a gland above their tail). Below the feathers is a thick layer of blubber to keep the penguins warm.

Once a year, penguins shed their feathers and grow new ones. The old feathers come off in patches and at the same time new feathers grow. This takes about three weeks and during this period the penguins do not eat nor swim.The largest penguin subspecies is the emperor penguin,an average Emperor penguin stands about 114 centimetres tall and weighs 41 kilograms. The smallest is the fairy penguin, also known as little blue penguin, these birds stand 25 cm tall on average and weigh about 1.1 kg.

Penguins eat only seafood, including krill, squid and various fish. Because they don’t have teeth, penguins swallow their prey whole. They use their pointy beaks to catch the prey and their textured tongues to hold onto the food while they swallow it.

Of the 17 penguin species on Earth, 13 are considered either threatened or endangered. Penguins face several threats to their survival, the most common of which are pollution and human encroachment to their habitats, as well as new mammalian predators such as dogs, cats and weasels that have been introduced by humans to penguins' environments. Other threats include commercial fishing, as penguins are sometimes caught as a byproduct, oil dumping . In addition, climate change appears to be playing a large role in the declining population of penguin species. As waters warm, the ice that makes up their habitat melts, leaving limited space available for penguins to breed. 

Many organizations out there strive to protect penguins. These humans spend their time and their money to be able to successfully help them to survive. They educate others on the needs of penguins and what has been done to them.These volunteers are key to the survival of penguins in many other ways too. For example they offer their help when there is an imminent threat to a colony of them. This can be due to a natural disaster or even chemicals being spilled into the waters where they hunt for prey. Also there are some organizations that have helped to move penguins into captivity. Their goal is to help them to thrive in an environment that is as similar to the wild as they can get it.