Eudyptula
Published: January 15, 2010, 12:00 am
Updated: November 27, 2011, 10:06 am
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
C Michael Hogan
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Source: Tanya Dropbear/Wikipedia
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Conservation Status
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Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:--- Chordata
Class:------ Aves (Birds)
Order:-------- Sphenisciformes
Family:-------- Spheniscidae (Penguins)
Genus:--------- Eudyptula
Species:-------- Eudyptula minor (J. R. Forster, 1781)
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Eudyptula is a genus of only a single penguin species (a “monotypic” genus) within the penguin family of seventeen species. Eudyptula is also known as the Little penguin, the Little blue penguin, the Blue penguin or the Fairy penguin. The Little Penguin is the smallest member of seventeen species of flightless birds in the family of penguins.
Like all penguins, the Little penguin is characterized by its erect posture (although less so than other species of penguins), stiff wings (flippers), excellent swimming ability, awkward movement out of water, and distinctive two-tone colouring. The dark back and white front, make all penguins difficult to see when swimming, blending against the sea from above and the sky from below.
The Little penguin is also the only nocturnal penguin.
Six subspecies of the Little penguin have been described. One of them, the White-flippered penguin (Eudyptula minor albosignata), is considered by some not to be a subspecies but, in fact, a separate species (or a subspecies of a separate species) under the genus Eudyptula. If classified as a separate species, its conservation status is considered endangered.
See Also
Further Reading
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Eudyptes Penguinworld.com (accessed March 29, 2009)
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[www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2009/ Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2009 Annual Checklist]. Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, Baillargeon G., eds (2009), Species 2000: Reading, UK.
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Citation
Peter Saundry, Encyclopedia of Life (Lead Author);C Michael Hogan (Topic Editor) "Eudyptula". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth January 15, 2010; Last revised Date November 27, 2011; Retrieved June 19, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Eudyptula>
The Authors
Stewardship Committee
The Encyclopedia of Earth
Dr. Peter Saundry is the Executive Director of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), a nonpartisan organization working to improve the scientific basis of environmental decision making. The NCSE works closely with the many communities that create and use environmental knowledge to make and shape environmental decisions, including academic, scientific, environmental, and business organizations, as well as federal, state ... (Full Bio)
The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is an ambitious, even audacious project to organize and make available via the Internet virtually all information about life present on Earth. At its heart lies a series of Web sites—one for each of the approximately 1.8 million known species—that provide the entry points to this vast array of knowledge. The entry-point for each site is a species page suitable for the general public, but with several linked pages aimed at more specialized users. The sites spark ... (Full Bio)
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Source: Tanya Dropbear/Wikipedia
|
|
Conservation Status
|
|
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:--- Chordata
Class:------ Aves (Birds)
Order:-------- Sphenisciformes
Family:-------- Spheniscidae (Penguins)
Genus:--------- Eudyptula
Species:-------- Eudyptula minor (J. R. Forster, 1781)
|
Eudyptula is a genus of only a single penguin species (a “monotypic” genus) within the penguin family of seventeen species. Eudyptula is also known as the Little penguin, the Little blue penguin, the Blue penguin or the Fairy penguin. The Little Penguin is the smallest member of seventeen species of flightless birds in the family of penguins.
Like all penguins, the Little penguin is characterized by its erect posture (although less so than other species of penguins), stiff wings (flippers), excellent swimming ability, awkward movement out of water, and distinctive two-tone colouring. The dark back and white front, make all penguins difficult to see when swimming, blending against the sea from above and the sky from below.
The Little penguin is also the only nocturnal penguin.
Six subspecies of the Little penguin have been described. One of them, the White-flippered penguin (Eudyptula minor albosignata), is considered by some not to be a subspecies but, in fact, a separate species (or a subspecies of a separate species) under the genus Eudyptula. If classified as a separate species, its conservation status is considered endangered.
See Also
Further Reading
-
Eudyptes Penguinworld.com (accessed March 29, 2009)
-
[www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2009/ Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2009 Annual Checklist]. Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, Baillargeon G., eds (2009), Species 2000: Reading, UK.
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
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