Little Penguins

Originally called “Fairy Penguins”. I guess there was a sensitive penguin out there cause the term quickly became politically incorrect and was changed to be “Little Penguins”. They are the smallest out of 17 species of penguins in the world. And mind you, they do not call them “little” for nothing. They are only about 1kg and dreadfully adorable.

At Philip Island, the Little Penguins come back from their fishing trip in the ocean at the first hour when the sky gets dark. They brace themselves and pluck up their courage to cross the vast open beach to their homes in the burrows. They find safety in numbers and when one penguin runs back into the water, they all turn back. So they have a few goes at it before finally crossing the beach safely.

I was a little bummed that any form of photography or videography was now banned at the Penguin Parade. However, quickly did I learn that it was rightly so. Although being warned many times, we saw tourists take a few flashed shots at the penguins at a close-up range. And of course, they were stopped by the rangers on the watch.

Poh’s Fact List:
The sounds the Little Penguins’ make sound like my dad’s snoring, only at a higher pitch.