"Penguin-balls" - For those you of who are not British a word of explanation may be in order. David Coleman was for many years a well known British sports commentator. He often got it wrong. Private Eye, a satirical magazine, published a column devoted to his cock-ups - it was called "Coleman-balls".

We often visit zoos and aquariums where there are penguins and spend a lot of time watching the penguins while we are there. Indeed that is why we go. Inevitably, while we are watching the penguins other people come along and we just can't help over-hearing what they say. The ignorance of some of these visitors often beggars belief.

We thought we would use this page to put the record straight on some of the more common misconceptions about penguins (as well as letting you in on a few of the more outrageous comments we have heard)

Common Misconceptions about Penguins

We often hear remarks like these, we suppose that since penguins look sleek and cuddly, people don't realise they are covered with feathers. Alright, the feathers are really small (maybe 2 to 5mm long) and very dense (as much as 80 feathers per square inch) but there are always signs next to the penguin enclosure telling anyone who cares to read that penguins are BIRDS. Yes BIRDS, anyone who has seen them in the water will realise they swim with an action far more reminiscent of flying than the usual swimming motion of mammals and fishes.

Two different misconceptions get mixed up in these remarks. Most people think of penguins as only coming from cold places. So they think of both polar regions, North and South. First, only two of the 17 species of penguin are confined to the ice of Antarctica, the rest like warmer weather. Secondly, there are no penguins in the North; up there the ecological niche is taken by the puffins and auks. Penguins are almost entirely confined to the southern hemisphere (only a few Galapagos Penguins make it, just a few kilometres into the northern hemisphere). However, the reality is that different species breed at all latitudes: from the icy coasts of Antarctica (Emperors and Adelies) via ice free sub-Antarctic islands (Kings, Chinstraps, Gentoos, Macaronis, Royals) and warmer small islands in the southern ocean (Rockhoppers, Snares, Erect-crested, Yellow-eyed) and on to New Zealand and Australia (Fiordland, Yellow-eyed and Little) and into even warmer climates in South Africa and South America (African, Humboldt and Magellanic) right up to the equator (Galapagos).

Many zoos and aquariums keep several different species together in one enclosure. The resulting confusion can be great fun. Even though there are usually clear signs identifying the species most visitors think they know best. King penguins - the largest kept in zoos - are universally seen as 'parents', while the smaller crested or banded penguins are 'babies'. In fact penguin chicks are easily distinguished by their 'fluffy' down. Juveniles are more difficult to recognise - they usually have less distinct markings (e.g. in crested penguins the juveniles have shorter crests). The mangy looking penguins are simply moulting. All penguins have to grow a fresh set of feathers each year. During the few weeks this takes they look rather tatty as the old feathers fall out.

This is a story told to us by Van "The Penguin Man".

Van used to spend most of his days at Boulders Beach, near Cape Town, looking after the African Penguins that have colonised the area. Van has been credited with ensuring the success of this colony by protecting the penguins from over enthusiastic tourists, etc.  A couple of years ago, the President of the World Wildlife Fund visited the beach to see the penguins and was introduced to Van.  Much to Van's astonishment, he proceeded to tell Van about penguins.  "..Ah yes" he said, "These chaps are penguins - I saw them when we went to Antarctica a few years ago.."  Van explained gently that the birds on the beach were African penguins and never venture far south - certainly never reaching Antarctica and that the penguins he saw in Antarctica would have been a different species.  But the important visitor was insistent "..Oh no, I was there, they were the same birds.."

Now of course, Van believes that Prince Philip (the consort of our head of state) is an arrogant and ignorant fool.  Who are we to argue with him?