Guys, I'm sick atm, have a blatter infection and a fever. I might miss the start of Day 1, but don't worry I'll be fully ready after that...

The number of extant species has been and still is a matter of debate. The numbers of penguin species listed in the literature vary between 16 and 19 species. Some sources consider the White-Flippered Penguin a separate Eudyptula species, although today it is generally considered a subspecies of the Little Penguin (e.g. Williams, 1995; Davis & Renner, 2003). Similarly, it is still unclear whether the Royal Penguin is merely a colour morph of the Macaroni penguin. Also possibly eligible to be treated as a separate species is the Northern population of Rockhopper penguins (Davis & Renner, 2003). Although all penguin species are native to the southern hemisphere, they are not, contrary to popular belief, found only in cold climates, such as Antarctica. In fact, only a few species of penguin actually live so far south. Three species live in the tropics; one lives as far north as the Galαpagos Islands (the Galαpagos Penguin) and will occasionally cross the equator while feeding.

The largest species is the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri): adults average about 1.1 meters (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kilograms (75 lb) or more. The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as the Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). Generally larger penguins retain heat better, and thus inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are found in temperate or even tropical climates.

Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life on land and half in the oceans.

One of the most baffling forms of behavior of the penguin comes when a mother loses her chick, either due to its being unable to endure its first storm, or due to other reasons such as predators. When a mother loses its chick, they have been known to actually attempt to steal another mother's living chick- presumably in order to deal with the grief of the loss. This behavior has amazed scientists, as it is an emotional outburst opposed to an instinctual behavior; something many wild animals do not exhibit when losing their young. Many have used this as prime evidence for decades that many animals have near human-like emotions and feelings, often for the sake of animal rights. Naturally, the other females in the penguin groups dislike this behavior and will help the defending mother keep her chick. This behaviour, however, might be better explained as a means for the female, or the male, to retain the full cooperation of the other parent in rearing the young, given that the bonding is monogamous; most likely there are differences between males and females in regards to the likelihood of chick-robbing and between species in relation to whether the monogamy is seasonal or permanent.

Penguins seem to have no fear of humans, and have approached groups of explorers without hesitation.

[This message has been edited by Film (edited 06-15-2006 @ 09:11 PM).]

Kudos for the style though.

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And he butchered it. He spelt confirm wrong.