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Antarctic penguins have a wide range of adaptations that help them to survive in the hostile and extreme environment they call home. This essay will look at the key adaptations that these birds have and compare different species to outline the importance of the different morphological, physiological and behavioral features that allow them too survive in their environment.

The most obvious morphological adaptation is that of size. Penguins that reside on the Antarctic continent are larger in size than their non-Antarctic counterparts. This is evident with all warm blooded animals in cold climates ‘the Rockhopper is a fairly hefty 2.5kg . The Adelie and Emperor penguins of the deep south are larger still. Adult weights are 5kg (11lb) for the Adelie and 30kg (66lb) for the Emperor’ (Ward, 2001). The basic premise is that the larger the animal the smaller the size to surface area ratio is. If a little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) was to live in Antarctic conditions it would......

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Approximate Word Count: 1029
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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