Penguin myths, gently corrected

Myth Penguins live at the North Pole.

Fact Penguins are only found in the Southern Hemisphere. The biggest numbers are on Antarctic coasts and sub-Antarctic islands. Australian Antarctic Division: Penguins

Myth Puffins are a kind of penguin.

Fact Penguins are Southern Hemisphere birds, though people often confuse them with the black-and-white puffins of the north. Smithsonian Ocean: Penguins

Myth All penguins live in the snow.

Fact Galápagos penguins are the most northerly penguins, living on the Galápagos Islands on the equator. Smithsonian Ocean: Penguins The Humboldt penguin lives on the shores of the Atacama Desert in Chile and Peru, the driest desert in the world. Smithsonian Ocean: Penguins

Myth The great auk was a penguin.

Fact The great auk was the first bird to be called a penguin, but it wasn’t related to modern penguins: it was an auk, like puffins. Smithsonian Ocean: Penguins

Myth All penguins are just black and white.

Fact The yellow pigments in penguin feathers are unique to penguins. Australian Antarctic Division: Unusual penguins Some penguins are completely white but have dark beaks and eyes. These rare birds are called ‘leucistic’, from the Greek ‘leucos’, white. Australian Antarctic Division: Unusual penguins

Myth Penguins can’t drink seawater.

Fact Penguins drink seawater with their food. Salt glands above the eyes filter it out, and a quick ‘sneeze’ and shake gets rid of the salt. Smithsonian Ocean: Penguins

Myth Penguins taste food like we do.

Fact Penguins can probably only taste salty and sour. A study found they lack the genes for sweet, bitter and umami tastes. Smithsonian Ocean: Penguins

Myth A scruffy penguin on a beach needs rescuing.

Fact New Zealand’s advice: leave penguins alone (scruffy birds are usually just moulting) and keep dogs on a lead near penguin areas. NZ Department of Conservation: Little penguin/kororā