How many penguins are there in the world? Scientists have tried to count them by taking pictures from space. There are about 8 million chinstrap penguins, who really look like they have a chinstrap, and about 10 million Adélie penguins. Then throw in 4 1/2 million king penguins, and almost 1 million emperor penguins. When you add in other species, it comes to around 48 million birds…and lots of cute baby penguin chicks each year.
Wee ones: Many penguins have white tummies and black backs. Stand up and face the front of your classroom. Now turn halfway around to face the back of the room. Turn halfway 2 more times. Which way are you facing?
Little kids: If we have 4 mama chinstrap penguins and each lays 1 egg, once the eggs hatch how many penguins do we have? Bonus: If you have 7 penguins, how many more do you need to have 20 penguins?
Big kids: If you add up just the 4 1/2 million king penguins and 3 1/2 million Magellanic penguins, how many penguins is that? Bonus: Can you “spell” 48 million as a number, using digits?
The sky’s the limit: If you pick a few pet penguins, and you have twice as many king penguins as rockhoppers, twice as many emperors as kings, and 28 penguins in total, how many king penguins do you have?
Answers:
Wee ones: The back of the room, since you turned halfway around 3 times.
Little kids: 8 penguins: 4 mamas and 4 chicks. Bonus: 7 more penguins, because 20 – 7 = 13.
Big kids: 8 million penguins. The 4 + 3 give you 7, and the 1/2 + 1/2 give you another 1 million. Bonus: 48,000,000.
The sky’s the limit: 8 king penguins. If you have 2 kings and 4 emperors for each rockhopper, that makes a set of 7. Together 4 of those sets make 28 penguins total, and 4 sets will have 4 x 2 or 8 king penguins.
