Penguin Height Comparison (Centimeters)
How tall is an Emperor penguin? Compare 12 species heights, from Emperor 130 cm to Little 35 cm. Published maxima with linked converter. All 12 species ranked.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor penguin 130 cm. Top row here. Range 100 to 130. | 130 cm (4 ft 3.2 in) | Antarctica, Aptenodytes forsteri | Penguin Place largest penguins: Emperor 100-130 cm; Penchan encyclopedia: Emperor 100-122 cm; Little Scientists: Emperor 110-130 cm |
| King penguin 95 cm. Range 85 to 95. | 95 cm (3 ft 1.4 in) | Subantarctic, Aptenodytes patagonicus | Penguin Place largest penguins: King 85-95 cm; Penchan: King 85-95 cm |
| Gentoo penguin 90 cm. Range 51 to 90. | 90 cm (2 ft 11.4 in) | Antarctic islands, Pygoscelis papua | Penguin Place largest penguins: Gentoo 51-90 cm; Penchan: Gentoo 51-90 cm |
| Yellow-eyed penguin 79 cm. Range 62 to 79. | 79 cm (2 ft 7.1 in) | New Zealand, Megadyptes antipodes | Penguin Place largest penguins: Yellow-eyed 62-79 cm |
| Chinstrap penguin 77 cm. Range 68 to 77. | 77 cm (2 ft 6.3 in) | Antarctica, Pygoscelis antarcticus | Penguin Place largest penguins: Chinstrap 68-77 cm; Penchan: Chinstrap 68-76 cm |
| Macaroni penguin 77 cm. Range 51 to 77. | 77 cm (2 ft 6.3 in) | Subantarctic, Eudyptes chrysolophus | Penguin Place largest penguins: Macaroni 51-77 cm |
| Royal penguin 76 cm. Range 65 to 76. | 76 cm (2 ft 5.9 in) | Macquarie Island, Eudyptes schlegeli | Penguin Place largest penguins: Royal 65-76 cm |
| Magellanic penguin 76 cm. Range 61 to 76. | 76 cm (2 ft 5.9 in) | South America, Spheniscus magellanicus | Penguin Place largest penguins: Magellanic 61-76 cm |
| Adelie penguin 71 cm. Range 46 to 71. | 71 cm (2 ft 4 in) | Antarctica, Pygoscelis adeliae | Penguin Place largest penguins: Adelie 46-71 cm; Penchan: Adelie 46-71 cm |
| Fiordland penguin 71 cm. Range 51 to 71. | 71 cm (2 ft 4 in) | New Zealand, Eudyptes pachyrhynchus | Penguin Place largest penguins: Fiordland 51-71 cm |
| Humboldt penguin 70 cm. Range 56 to 70. | 70 cm (2 ft 3.6 in) | South America, Spheniscus humboldti | Penguin Place largest penguins: Humboldt 56-70 cm |
| Little penguin 35 cm. Lowest row here. Range 30 to 35. | 35 cm (1 ft 1.8 in) | Australia and NZ, Eudyptula minor | Little Scientists penguin heights: Little penguin 30-35 cm; BrainVoyage: Little Blue 33 cm |
About this converter
Penguin heights run 35 to 130 cm by maximum in this table. Emperor leads at 130, King follows at 95, Gentoo 90, Yellow eyed 79, Chinstrap and Macaroni 77 each, Royal and Magellanic 76 each, Adelie and Fiordland 71 each, Humboldt 70 and Little 35 to close the table. One Emperor matches almost four Littles. Ranges overlap below the top two, so the table pins maxima with full ranges noted. Every figure here is a published species maximum.
How to use it
Pick two penguins and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try 1 Emperor against Little penguins to see the 130 versus 35 gap in cm, meters or feet.
Values pin range maxima with full spans noted per row. Adelie 46 to 71 against Chinstrap 68 to 77 shows why order flips on averages. Gentoo spans 51 to 90, wider than a Little penguin tall. Humboldt and Fiordland ride near 70 with status noted where endangered. Weights ride in sources where they sharpen a row. Dive depths ride in sources with Emperor reaching 565 m. IUCN status flags rows like Yellow-eyed.
FAQ
What is the tallest penguin?
Emperor at 130 cm maximum. King follows at 95.
What is the smallest penguin?
Little penguin at 35 cm maximum. It is also called Little Blue.
Do penguin sizes overlap?
Yes. Adelie runs 46 to 71 and Chinstrap 68 to 77, so a tall Adelie beats a short Chinstrap. The table pins maxima.
Are flying birds included?
No. Flying birds use wingspans, so only standing heights of penguins appear here.
Sources
- Penguin Place largest penguins (Emperor 100-130 through Humboldt 56-70 cm with weights and dives; overlap warning)
- Penchan penguin encyclopedia species pages (Emperor 100-122, King 85-95, Gentoo 51-90, Chinstrap 68-76, Adelie 46-71 cm)
- Little Scientists penguin height list (Emperor 110-130 through Little 30-35 cm) and BrainVoyage averages cross-check
Last verified: 2026-10-02 · 12 entries
More character heights converters
Anime Character Height Converter and Comparison
How tall is Goku, Luffy, Naruto? Compare 18 official anime character heights in cm, feet and inches with an interactive converter.
Apothecary Diaries Character Heights (Official CM)
How tall is Maomao, Jinshi or Lihaku? Compare 10 official Apothecary Diaries heights in cm, meters and feet, from author posts and court manga profiles.
Arknights Operator Height Comparison
How tall is Amiya? Compare 14 official Arknights operator heights: Texas, Exusiai, SilverAsh, Blaze, Chen, Kaltsit and more operators with visual bars.
← The Penguin Episode Runtime Comparison (Minutes) · Percy Jackson Book Page Count Comparison (US Hardcovers) →