Subphylum Vertebrata Family Spheniscidae Higher classification Spheniscinae | Phylum Chordata Order Sphenisciformes Scientific name Pygoscelis Rank Genus | |
 | ||
Lifespan Chinstrap penguin: 15 – 20 years Lower classifications Adélie penguin, Gentoo penguin, Chinstrap penguin | ||
The genus Pygoscelis ("rump-legged") contains three living species of penguins collectively known as "brush-tailed penguins".
Contents
Taxonomy
Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence suggests the genus split from other penguins around 38 million years ago, about 2 million years after the ancestors of the genus Aptenodytes. In turn, the Adelie penguins split off from the other members of the genus around 19 million years ago.
The three extant species are:
Extinct species:
The latter two are tentatively assigned to this genus.
Species photographs
Photographs of adult penguins of the extant (living) species:
References
Pygoscelis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA