Everyone loves penguins! If you take a trip to Antarctica you will encounter hundreds of Gentoo penguins on the shores of the peninsula and elsewhere.
The Gentoo penguin is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. They have pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail – the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. As the Gentoo penguin waddles along on land, its tail sticks out behind, sweeping from side to side, hence the scientific name Pygoscelis, which means “rump-tailed”.
Gentoos reach a height of 20 to 35 inches [51 to 90 cm] making them the third-largest species of penguin after the two giant species, the emperor penguin and the king penguin.