Little Blue Penguin: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Penguins and Puffins · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. The little penguin is the world's smallest penguin, standing 30 to 33 cm tall and weighing about 1.5 kg on average.
2. Little penguins only come ashore at night. They never visit burrows by day, making them the only penguin strictly nocturnal on land.
3. After dusk, Australian little penguins swim in a large group and walk along the shore to their nests, maybe to avoid predators.
4. Half of their dives stay within 2 m of the surface, but the record dive reached 66.7 m and lasted 90 seconds.
5. Australian little penguins sometimes lay a second clutch after the first fledges, a strategy called double-brooding.

The quiz

1. How tall is a little penguin?

• 50 to 60 cm
• 30 to 33 cm (correct)
• 1 m
• 10 to 15 cm

It stands 30 to 33 cm tall.

2. When do little penguins visit their burrows on land?

• Only at midday
• Only in winter
• Only in the morning
• Only at night (correct)

They never visit burrows during the day.

3. What do Australian little penguins do after dusk?

• Swim together in a large group (correct)
• Fish alone far out at sea
• Sleep on the water
• Hunt on the beach

They swim in a large group and walk along the shore.

4. How deep is the maximum recorded dive?

• 2 metres
• 6.7 metres
• 66.7 metres (correct)
• 200 metres

The record dive is 66.7 metres deep.

5. What is double-brooding?

• Laying two eggs at once
• Laying a second clutch after the first fledges (correct)
• Sharing a nest with another pair
• Raising chicks in two colonies

They lay a second clutch after the first fledges.

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