The Fascinating Names of Penguins
If you frequent social media, you might have seen a post that has been making its rounds lately, claiming that today’s penguins are not really penguins. What’s the truth? Is our favorite black and white bird built on a lie?
The Origin of Penguins
The word penguin, thought to derive from the Welsh pen gwyn, or “white head”, originally referred to the Great auk, a large, flightless bird of black and white plumage. Despite their similarities, the now extinct Great auk is more closely related to puffins than to modern day penguins. As sailors began exploring the southern seas, they encountered more black and white, flightless birds. Reminded of the Great auk, they called these birds penguins as well. So while the Great auk was the OP — the original penguin — it would be remiss of us to say that today’s Spheniscidae have not also earned the name.
Birds of a Feather are Grouped Together
Spheniscidae, the scientific family of penguins, was named for the Greek word sphen (meaning wedge) after the shape of a penguin’s flipper. Each modern day penguin is classified as Spheniscidae. The different types of penguin are then broken down by their genus and species name, for example, Pygoscelis antarcticus, the chinstrap penguin. There are six different genera of penguins, and 18 penguin species are recognized by the International Ornithologists’ Union (though this number is sometimes questioned!)
Getting Personal
Whether it’s the Latin name or common, some names make more sense than others. Take the previously mentioned Chinstrap, for instance — looking at this penguin, with its thin band of black tracing a line under its beak, it’s clear to see where the common name comes from. Pygoscelis, meaning brush-tailed, certainly applies as well. And the species name of antarcticus is a no-brainer for these birds which live on the Antarctic peninsula!
Then you have the Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua. How did a penguin that breeds in Antarctic waters come to be named after the tropical country of Papua New Guinea? Many theories exist, but one story tells of a naturalist named Pierre Sonnerat who encountered and documented these penguins on a voyage to New Guinea— a voyage that was completely made up! While Sonnerat’s fraud was exposed, his legacy remains in the scientific name of the Gentoo penguin.
illustration from Pierre Sonnerat’s Voyage à la Nouvelle-Guinée (1776)
Can you guess which penguin takes the scientific name of Eudyptes chrysolophus? Here’s a hint: chrysolophus comes from the “with golden crest”, and it’s the perfect name for the Macaroni penguin! Speaking of these bright feathered birds, the Macaroni’s common name refers not to a cheesy pasta dish, but to the term popularized in Yankee Doodle fame, of a fashionable man in the early 19th century.
A Penguin by Any Other Name…
From the aptly monikered Little penguin to the hidden sweetness of the Adelie (in honor of French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville’s wife), names can tell a little or a lot about a penguin species’ characteristics or history. As to whether or not penguins are really penguins, as the rumor says? Well, if it’s good enough for the International Ornithologists’ Union, it’s good enough for me.