Penguins are among the most social birds on the planet
There are 17 known species of penguin, and all of them are highly social, which is why penguin pictures often depict more than one penguin at a time. When you see a photo of a lone penguin, it could be because the penguin in question is on its way to dive for food – which some species of penguin prefer to do alone, according to the penguin experts at SeaWorld.
Hundreds of thousands can live together…
All species of penguin live in colonies known as “rookeries” during the breeding season. Some rookeries include hundreds of thousands of penguins and cover hundreds of square kilometres.
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…but King Penguins prefer travelling in smaller groups
King penguins, which are identifiable by their golden-orange markings on their head and neck, are known to be very friendly with one another in their rookeries, but when it comes time to travel, they tend to break off into smaller groups of between 5 and 20 individuals.
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