Biology Question #67

Mark Seymour, a 24 year old male from the Internet asks on September 16, 1999,

Why are there no penguins in the Arctic, or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere?

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The answer

Barry Shell answered on September 16, 1999

There are lots of "penguin-like" birds in the Arctic such as puffins and murres, and they have been confused with penguins in the past. According to The Penguin Post, nine king penguins were released by scientists in Lofoten and Finmark in 1935, and in 1938, some birds of smaller species were released. There have been several reports up until 1954 of penguins being seen in parts of northern Norway. I guess evolution, for whatever reason, favoured certain kinds of birds on one pole and certain other kinds on the other pole.

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