Gentoo penguin on Cuverville Island, Antarctica

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.

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