Of all the families of animals being impacted by the climate is that of Penguins. They are nearly all impacted.

There are 17 species of penguins and they are all protected, meaning they cannot be hunted legally, or have their eggs collected. Despite this protection, penguin populations are decreasing, and in some areas they have decreased as much as 80%, but not all are endangered yet. 

Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the penguin which is most at risk is the Galapagos penguin. It is listed as endangered, and this essentially means it is in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughmost of its range. 

Currently, the African penguin is also under consideration for being added to this endangered species list. 

The Southern Rockhopper is under consideration for being included on the threatened list. 

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Humboldt penguin is also listed as endangered. 

Under the IUCN listing, the Erect Crested penguin and the Yellow eyed penguin are listed as endangered. 

The status of the other penguins is as follows: 


Gentoo penguin - Near threatened
Magellanic penguin - Near threatened
Rockhopper penguin - Vulnerable (population declining)
Macaroni penguin - Vulnerable (population declining)
Fiordland crested penguin - Vulnerable (population declining)
Snares Island penguin - Vulnerable (population small but currently stable)
Royal penguin - (Vulnerable - population still recovering from being exploited in the past)
Royal penguin - (Vulnerable - population still recovering from being exploited in the past)
Emperor penguin - Least concern (population stable)
King penguin - Least concern (population stable or increasing)
Adelie penguin - Least concern (population increasing in some regions, decreasing in others)
Chinstrap penguin - Least concern
Fairy penguin - Least concern

Two African penguins born at the Georgia Aquarium (click here)

Posted: Mar 30, 2012 5:53 AM EDTUpdated: Mar 30, 2012 5:56 AM EDTAtlanta, GA (WXIA) - The Georgia Aquarium is showing off its two newest inhabitants. 

Two African penguin chicks hatched in January. 

The chicks have grown quickly, weighing about 100-grams when they hatched to about 6-pounds today. 

They'll be full grown at three months. 

A museum curator says both chicks were hand-reared, because the parents were young and inexperienced and they wanted to give these endangered birds the best chance for survival. 

Once the penguin chicks have their adult feathers, they will be "waterproof" and ready to start learning how to swim in a special pool. 

When the chicks are stronger swimmers, trainers will begin introducing them to the penguin colony.