MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Let us celebrate Penguin Awareness Day with Falklands one of the world's great penguin capitals

As many as a million penguins nest in the Falklands every summer, representing five of the world’s eighteen species, King, Gentoo, Rockhopper, Magellanic and Macaroni

Penguin Awareness Day is celebrated annually on the 20th of January and this year was on Thursday. The founder of Penguin Awareness Day is unknown, and there is no information on when this day was first celebrated.

However, it is known Penguin Awareness Day is celebrated to help raise awareness about the dwindling of numbers of these beautiful black and while creatures, primarily due to human activity. Emperor Penguins are the tallest… about 4 feet tall, the smallest, Little Blue, stand about 16 inches. Awareness Day hopes to shine a light on the importance of conservation of penguin habitats, and also intends to communicate the impacts of climate change on the region.

Scientific reports indicate that penguin populations, particularly Emperor Penguin populations, are declining and research shows that the world's second-largest Emperor penguin colony has declined by 88%.

Penguin Awareness Day gives people the opportunity to learn about these incredible animals, such as how they have managed to survive in harsh climate conditions for over 65 million years, and understand how climate change is impacting them.

Some facts about penguins,

In the water, a group of penguins is called a raft. But when they are on land, they are called a waddle. They nest in rookeries.

Penguins' distinctive black and white markings are a form of camouflage called 'counter-shading'.

Penguins love a cuddle! Or rather, a huddle, which keeps them warm and safe from predators.

Penguins are great divers, Emperor Penguins can dive 530 meters deep. Not only are they great swimmers, up to about 22 mph, they're also great walkers and can walk up to 60 miles across sea ice.

But penguins are also an iconic feature of the Falkland Islands, represented in crests, symbols and in colored prints of all kinds, and have become one of the great attractions of the South Atlantic archipelago.

In effect the Falkland Islands are considered one of the world’s great penguin capitals: as many as a million penguins nest in the Falklands every summer, representing five of the world’s eighteen species – King, Gentoo, Rockhopper, Magellanic and Macaroni. Actually for the Gentoo, Falklands are home to the largest population on Earth.

It must also be mentiones that there is another celebratory date for penguins, April 25th, World Penguin Day, which coincides with the annual northern migration of Adelie penguins. This intrinsic migration pattern is conserved across generations. Native to Antarctica are six breeding species, Emperor, King, Chinstrap, Adelie, Gentoo and Macaroni penguins.

Most penguins are monogamous and have distinct calls, enabling them to locate their mates in large groups. Penguin species lay up to two eggs per mating season with the Emperor and King penguins laying only one egg. Alarmingly, of the 18 recognized living species, 11 have been listed as Vulnerable or Endangered.

National Penguin Day began in 1972 when Gerry Wallace wrote the event on his wife’s (Aleta’s) calendar in Alamogordo, California. They later brought the celebration to the US Naval Weapons Center in Ridgecrest, California where the Penguin Patrol made the news.