Are There Penguins In Alaska? Find Out What's The Truth!

We all know that a penguin's natural habitat is in cold, ice-covered snowy regions.

However, did you know that they are limited only to the south? Though the Arctic and Antarctic circles share a similar climate, there are no wild penguins in the Arctic region!

So why are these birds only restricted to the Antarctic? A simple explanation is that the north is filled with a number of unfavorable conditions for penguins.

Though the climates are similar, there are still a number of differences in how the seasons change and the temperatures differ during these times of the year.

The north is also home to one of the fiercest predators on land, the Arctic polar bear, which would hunt down penguins very easily. In comparison to the Arctic, penguins face much less risk in the Antarctic as there are fewer predators present there.

To learn more about these amazing animals of Antarctica, read on! You may also enjoy our pages on Snares penguin facts and if there are penguins in the North Pole. 

Why are there no penguins in Alaska?

Though it is true that penguins live in the frigid, polar extremes of the world, penguins are actually present only in the Southern hemisphere!

Many people are under the impression that penguins exist in both the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions of the world, though that is far from the truth. Only one species of penguin can be found in the Northern hemisphere, and that is near the equator.

Out of the 18 known species of penguin, eight can be found living in the frigid temperatures of Antarctica, due to which it is the continent associated with penguins.

Though Alaska has similar temperatures and weather to that of the penguins home in the Southern hemisphere, why exactly are there no penguins in Alaska? There are a number of reasons why.

Though there have been efforts to introduce penguin colonies into the freezing polar regions of the north in the past, these efforts failed drastically.

Alaska is known for its wide range of natural wildlife species - a lot of which are predators. Similar to how penguins are only found in the Southern hemisphere, polar bears - one of the deadliest predators on the planet - can only be found in the Arctic.

Other bears like black and brown bears are also very commonly spotted during the summer, rambling about to search for food after their long winter migration.

Other predators include foxes and wolves - all of which would find the flightless penguin an easy target. They are also targeted by species like seals, sharks and killer whales.

Due to the presence of so many prolific hunter animals, the introduced population was unable to survive, giving us insight into why there are no penguins present at the northern pole.

As penguin populations are naturally available in the south, it would take them a long, trying journey to actually reach the Arctic region.

They're only able to survive in cold conditions, and swimming to the North Pole is not an easy, nor short journey. The presence of warmer waters towards the equator makes for a natural uncrossable barrier, meaning that without any other means to travel, penguins are stuck in the south for now.

However, it also means that predators like polar bears and wolves are unable to reach them, which is quite fortunate for them.

Penguins have adapted well to the changing seasons and temperatures in Antarctica. A widely unknown fact is that seasons take place at different times of the year in the Northern and Southern hemispheres!

As most of the world's population lives above the equator, we usually go about the assumption that winter occurs during the latter months of the year.

However, the opposite is true for the south, with these months usually being summer.

The temperatures usually rise in December, meaning that if penguins were to travel to the north pole, the adverse weather and messed-up timing due to migration would affect their bodies and health! Their breeding periods depend on the natural seasons as well, and it would take a lot of time for them to adapt to their new schedules.

They have also adapted to having large territories to themselves, with each bird getting adequate space of its own.

With the plethora of wild animals in Alaska, it would become very crowded for penguins, who may become stressed due to having to be on their guard constantly, as well as lead to a rise in competition for nesting space.

They may not be able to find adequate food sources either, due to not finding nesting sites close to rocky coasts or the sea due to the presence of predators in these areas.

Overall, penguins would not be able to adapt well in the Arctic, nor thrive among the large number of predatory animals present there, like wolves and polar bears. They are better off in the Southern hemisphere, where they have uninhabited space of their own for miles and an abundant food supply.

What types of penguins are there in Alaska?

If you travel to Alaska to see penguins, you are out of luck. Though you will not find any penguins in Alaska, America, or Canada, you will find the similar-looking Puffin in coastal Alaska and the colder parts of Canada.

Though they share the same striking black and white coloring and rich orange beaks, puffins and penguins are not closely related at all.

In fact, they belong to two completely different families, with penguins belonging to the Spheniscidae family, and puffins being a part of the Auk or Alcidae family. Another difference is that while penguins are flightless birds, puffins have fully functioning wings and can fly!

If you see a small, black and white bird in any part of the Northern hemisphere, it is very much possible that you are looking at a puffin and not a penguin. Though they may look similar from afar, observing them from close enough will make the differences between them much more obvious.

Even though you will not see penguins in Alaska, there is a lot more wildlife to discover. The northmost state of the USA has a ton of beautiful species to offer, including polar bears, whales, black and brown bears, seals, wolves, reindeer, musk oxen, sea lions, mountain goats, and many more.

The closest penguin to Alaska is the Galapagos penguin, however, even this penguin lives in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Southern America near the equator - which is still very far away from Africa. It is the only species of penguin that can be found in the Northern hemisphere.

The Galapagos is a species of banded penguin, the other of which can be found on the coasts of Africa.

Though penguins face relatively fewer predators in Antarctica, they are still very prone to attacks from the vicious leopard seal, and predatory seabirds who target the hatchlings. Killer whales can also attack penguins in the sea, however, these are not only restricted to the south but rather found in waters all over the world.

Penguins venturing too close to the coast still have to be wary of these animals

Though there are small populations of penguins in zoos in the Northern hemisphere - mostly in America and Europe - these have been carefully adjusted and adapted to their living conditions, making sure that they receive large amounts of care and nurturing to help them adjust.

The careful breeding and observation of these groups have helped to maintain healthy populations that are available for zoo-goers to marvel at.

Do penguins give birth underwater?

No, penguins do not give birth underwater. Being birds, they lay eggs.

Penguins will usually lay between one to three eggs at a time, though most have been observed to lay a single, large egg. Penguins have a quite long lifespan, hence they mature a bit late, at between three to eight years. The breeding season is different for different species.

The courting ritual for most species of these animals is similar, where the male attempts to woo the female by taking possession of a nest site and making ecstatic visual displays to warn other males off, as well as show off the nesting site to potential female partners.

Once they are paired up, the mated couples perform the dance together, to keep away other penguins from their chosen territory as well as strengthen their bond. These pairs are usually monogamous, with males and females mostly returning to each other every season.

Crossbreeding has also been observed, with the hybrid offspring even being able to successfully reproduce!

After the female lays an egg, she rolls it onto her partner's feet and goes off to feed among the sea for a few weeks. During this time, the male will hold the egg between his legs, keeping it warm and essentially incubating it.

This takes place for around a month, and the female returns right before the egg are about to hatch, relieving the male from his incubation duties and allowing him to go and search for food after his long period of fasting.

An interesting fact about penguin eggs is that though a few of them are round, most of them have an elliptical shape. The bottom is round, while the end is quite tapered and pointy.

This ensures that if the male loses his grip on the egg, it rolls around in a circle rather than slipping away from him, as the ice of the nesting ground can be slippery indeed!

What are female penguins called?

The terminologies for different sexes of penguins are similar to those of all other birds. Male penguins are called cocks, while female penguins are known as hens.

Baby penguins are called chicks, hatchlings, or nestlings!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for whether there are penguins in Alaska, then why not take a look at what fish eat, or what the smallest particle of an element is?