Classification

Domain- Eukarya
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class- Aves
Order- Sphenisciformes
Family- Spheniscidae
Genius- Eudyptula
Species- Minor

Phylogenetic tree of the three domains and the little blue penguin’s kingdom. Photo was found on Wikipedia.

The domain that the blue penguin belongs to is Eukarya due to fact that the blue penguin is a multicellular organism. The next step is being classified in the Animalia kingdom because the blue penguin is a heterotrophic motile organism that lacks a structural cell wall. The reason the penguin falls in the phylum Chordata is because of its bilateral symmetry, being triploblastic in nature (three tissue layers), and it being a deuterostome meaning the anus develops before the mouth in early embryonic development.

Phylogenetic tree of the kingdom Animalia. Tree was created by Dr. Kathryn Perez a professor at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

The class Aves represents all the organisms that we call birds.

Amniota tree of Chordata. Tree was created by Dr. Kathryn Perez a professor at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

 The order Sphenisciformes and family Spheniscidae represents the penguins which are flightless aquatic birds that live in the southern hemisphere. The final classification of the little blue penguin is its scientific name Eudyptula Minor. Eudyptula can translated into “Good little diver” and minor meaning "small."

Phylogenetic tree of the little blue penguin. Tree was made from Subramanian et al. 2013. Published in Biology Letters by Royal Society Publishing.

This type of tree was formed from DNA sequencing of mitochondrial genes and singular nuclear protein coding gene of eleven penguin species (Subramanian et al. 2013). The little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) is in the middle of the tree. This tree states that the eleven species evolved from the crown penguin which originated in the continent Antarctica 80 MYR (Subramanian et al. 2013). The earliest ancestors of the little blue penguin are the
Spheniscus demersus and Spheniscus magellanicus.

Now that you know where the little blue penguin fits on paper, find out where it lives!

                          <----Home                                                 Habitat---->

                                                     *References*