Once you have seen them in action, when the Southern Ocean stirs and froths, you’ll understand why the Olympic motto ‘faster, higher, stronger’ translates in Penguin as ‘further, deeper, busier’.

Did you know Little Penguins often swim 15-20 km in a day searching for food (small fish, squid or crustaceans). One Michael Phelps-esque Little Penguin was tracked travelling 100km in a single day.
 
Their species name Eudyptula minor translates roughly into Greek as ‘good little diver’. They are certainly little – at an average height of 30 cm and an average weight of 1kg they are the smallest of the 17 types of penguin.
 
They are also compulsive divers. A recent study at Phillip Island recorded foraging Little Penguins averaging 730 dives per day each, to a mean depth of 12m, with a speed of 1.5–2m/second. The longest recorded dive is 112 seconds, and the deepest is 65m.
 
Even on land these athletes work hard, with their burrows sometimes a 1500m hike from the shoreline. They dig these burrows in dunes or soft sand to a depth of about 50cm.
 
All athletes need their sleep so it is interesting to learn that Little Penguins have microsleeps of about four minutes, and even doze off while they are walking up the beach. They also sleep at sea, catching some z’s while floating on the surface.
 
At breeding time they display sexual athleticism rather than monogamy. It is not uncommon for both males and females to copulate with as many as four partners in one night. Breeding commences when they are 2-3 years old.

The average lifespan of a Little Penguin is about six years, although one Methuselah lived to 21.  I wonder how many water-miles he had clocked up by then…..

Have you seen the Penguins of Phillip Island or have any tips for other wanting to visit here, log onto the forum or write an article about it today.