Gentoo penguin on Cuverville Island, Antarctica

© Ben Cranke/Minden Pictures

Gentoo penguin on Cuverville Island, Antarctica

Behind the emperor and king penguins stands the gentoo, third-largest of all penguin species. But don’t sell gentoo penguins short - they can grow to be nearly three feet tall. Let the image of a three-foot-tall penguin sink in and then consider that it’s Penguin Awareness Day. How to celebrate? You just did. Penguin Awareness Day encourages us all to learn about these tuxedo-sporting birds, important members of the ecosystem that stretches from the waters of the Antarctic to the Galápagos Islands.