All penguins have white underbellies. This aids in avoiding detection by their predators. When their predators are looking from below up to the surface the white belly aids in avoiding detection.
Penguins usually lay two eggs and usually fledge both. Chicks are fully grown at about 55 days when they go to sea alone and learn to swim and find food for themselves.
The White Flippered Little Blue Penguin (korora) is seen on most Black Cat cruises. They have numerous nesting colonies around Banks Peninsula.
This is the smallest penguin in the world and one of only three penguins now on the endangered list thanks to predators including ferrets, stoats and wild cats. The penguin is very similar to the fairy penguin of Port Philip Island, Victoria, Australia.
It spends all of its day at sea and comes ashore to moult and nest over summer. It flies like a bird under the water and eats zoo plankton and small fish.
The Little Blue Penguin has a de-salinator in his head to turn salt water into fresh water. This way he doesn't have to return to shore to get a refreshing drink.
The Yellow Eyed Penguin is seen occasionally around Banks Peninsula and is the third largest penguin in world. It has beautiful yellow eyes and a yellow crown.
A penguin colony in Flea Bay is now a designated sanctuary - the colony can be visited from October to February.
Penguins
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