By Julie

Here comes another kind of penguin fit for a king: the Royal penguin! Unlike the Emperor and King, they stroll down the red carpets of Macquarie island. This island is halfway between Australia and Antarctica. It is also the sole place that royal penguins live! Most penguins inhabit a few islands, but the royal penguin sticks to Macquarie. They nest in depressions in the ground lined with pebbles or grass. They also pack together in mammoth colonies: ranging from 75 to 500,000 pairs! There were 56 royal penguin colonies counted on Macquarie in 1984. There are 850,000 pairs of royal penguins in total, and they are considered to be a stable species. They are white and black with yellow and black crests. Royals are one of the biggest crested penguins.They also have thick orange bills. They are about as tall as a medium-sized bush, two feet. They weigh 10 to 15 pounds, which is a few pounds heavier than a newborn baby. They look a lot like Macaroni penguins, except for their white chins. It’s understandable that they were once thought to be a Macaroni subspecies, their living spaces even overlap! The shape of a royal penguin’s body helps it to swim at speeds of 20 miles per hour! This probably explains why they spend lots of time at sea. Their speed helps them catch crustaceans, fish, and squid for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their diet is about half krill and other small crustaceans. 48% is fish, and about 2% squid. Little penguins huddle into a créche for warmth and safety. These kingly and queenly penguins may not live in a palace, but they sure do rule the penguins!
NOTE: This nonfiction paragraph I researched and wrote on my own time.