So I hope the week is going well for you so far. If it isn’t, I have the perfect thing that will turn the entire week around for you. How would a trip to New Zealand to study the Yellow-Eyed Penguin sound? Yeah, if that doesn’t make your week better than nothing will! That’s right animal fans, today we get to explore the life of one of the most lovable birds out there (you can’t tell me that penguins aren’t lovable). So pack your bags and lets get  going on our little road trip to New Zealand.

By now you have probably figured out that the Yellow-Eyed Penguin doesn’t live in the freezing cold like the standard penguins. Nope, they prefer to hang out in the forests along the coast of beautiful New Zealand. Personally, I would say that this is not a bad alternative to living on the harsh, frozen landscape of Antarctica.

At one time, it was believed that the Yellow-Eyed Penguin was closely related to the Little Penguin, however, genetic testing has shown that they are actually more like the Crested Penguins, such as the Rockhopper Penguin. If you don’t feel like doing genetic testing, here are some other features that may help you identify the Yellow-Eyed Penguin. Well first of all, they have Yellow Eyes! This feature makes it very easy to identify these penguins. As well, this particular penguin species are one of the larger varieties as they can grow up to 75 cm (30″) tall and weigh up to 8 kg (18 lbs). So if you are wandering around New Zealand and you spot a fairly large penguin with yellow eyes…..it is probably a Yellow-Eyed Penguin.

Although, the chances of you spotting one of these penguins on your trip may be slim. The Yellow-Eyed Penguin is one of the most endangered penguin species out there with about 4000 individuals remaining in the wild. At one time, this animal had nothing to worry about but deforestation along with the introductions of non-native animals such as cats, dogs and foxes have left this species population in jeopardy. It just goes to show that life can change on you very quickly so you had better be prepared.

Well that does it for our trip to New Zealand. I hope you enjoyed learning about the Yellow-Eyed Penguin. See you tomorrow for another Wild Fact.