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Penguin Facts for Kids: 10 Surprising Facts

African penguins live in big groups called colonies on the rocky coast of southwestern Africa.

The facts we checked

  1. Penguins are birds, but they cannot fly. They are made for swimming.Source: National Geographic, Penguins, checked 2026-10-05
  2. A penguin's wings are stiff flippers. They push the penguin through the water.Source: National Geographic, Penguins, checked 2026-10-05
  3. A penguin can swim up to 15 miles an hour.Source: National Geographic: Penguins; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: African penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  4. Dense, waterproof feathers keep a penguin dry and warm in cold water.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  5. An African penguin can hold its breath for over two minutes and dive over 400 feet deep.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  6. Every penguin's feather pattern is one of a kind, like a person's fingerprints.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  7. African penguins live in big groups called colonies on the rocky coast of southwestern Africa.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  8. A bare pink patch above each eye helps an African penguin stay cool in the hot sun.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  9. Penguin parents share the job of keeping their chicks warm and fed.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05
  10. African penguins eat fish such as sardines and anchovies, and also squid.Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, African Penguin, checked 2026-10-05

Quick check

True or false? Read each sentence and decide before you open the answers.

  1. Penguins are birds, but they cannot fly. They are made for swimming.
  2. A penguin can swim up to 400 miles an hour.
  3. A penguin's wings are stiff flippers. They push the penguin through the water.
Show the answers
  1. True.
  2. False. The real fact is: A penguin can swim up to 15 miles an hour.
  3. True.

Keep reading

Facts checked against the sources listed under each fact. Sources can update their numbers, so we re-check facts every year.