Overview
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A Order in the Kingdom Animalia.
Taxonomy
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The Order Sphenisciformes is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Suborder (1): Ciconii
- Infraorder (1): Ciconiides
- Parvorder (1): Ciconiida
- Family (1): Spheniscidae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 87 species and subspecies in the Order Sphenisciformes.
Families
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Spheniscidae
Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend about half of their lives on land and half in the oceans. [more]
At least 90 species and subspecies belong to the Family Spheniscidae.
More info about the Family Spheniscidae may be found here.
Sources
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