Gentoo Penguins at Deception Island

These Gentoo penguins are strolling along the beach of Deception Island in Antarctica!

Deception Island is part of the South Shetlands Islands, a popular breeding ground for Gentoo penguins. In 1986, a team of scientists counted between 700-850 Gentoo penguins at Deception Island!

Gentoos weigh about 6 kilograms (13 pounds) on average. They feed mainly on krill, but are also known to eat fish and squid.--Vicki Johns

Sources: Moss, Sanford A. Natural History of the Antarctic Peninsula. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.

Parmelee, David Freeland. Antarctic Birds. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1992.

Photo by Amy Schauer, University of Alaska