Theresa Davolt, age 13, of Wichita, Kansas, for her question:

Do penguins live outside the Antarctic?

Most people are surprised to learn that one species of penguin lives at the Equator. Only two species make their homes on the land mass of Antarctica. One is the Adelie penguin, who trudges far inland to nest on the frozen ice sheet. The other is the giant emperor penguin, who stands three feet tall on his flat feet and tips the scales at about 90 pounds. Another 14 species live on Antarctic islands and as far north as South America and South Africa.

One of these is the smallest member of the family, the little blue penguin of Australia and New Zealand. He stands no taller than 12 inches. The equatorial specs is the Galapagos penguin. His ancestors probably got to these islands by accident, when strong gales carried them on the Humboldt current that sweeps from Antarctic along the west coast of South America.