Wildlife of the Southern Ocean

one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms

In and around the Southern Ocean lives an ecosystem of plant and animal life including penguins, seals, and whales.

Major wildlife regions
North America • Central & South America • Africa • Madagascar • Eurasia • South & Southeast Asia • Australasia • Arctic • Southern Ocean

Species

Penguins

Penguins parading in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

All but one species of penguins are native to the Southern Hemisphere.

  • Antarctica. The best place to see penguins, but also remote and expensive. (updated Jun 2017)
  • Tierra del Fuego. This region is part of Argentina and Chile, at the southern tip of South America. There are penguin colonies within 30 km of Ushuaia and Punta Arenas, as well as other locations that are further or require ferries to reach. See this site for a full list. (updated Jun 2017)
  • Falkland Islands. (updated Jun 2017)
  • Phillip Island, Victoria. Here you can see dozens of little fairy penguins waddle up from the sea to their nests at sunset. Within two hours' drive of Melbourne. (updated Jun 2017)
  • Penguin Island, Rockingham, Western Australia. Home to a colony of little penguins, though few wild penguins are visible during the day. Located close to Perth. (updated Jul 2017)
  • Tasmania. Fairy penguins can be seen coming in from the water around dusk in some parts of the island state; Bicheno and Bruny Island are popular destinations for penguin-spotting. If you happen to be in the northwest of the state, Burnie has an observation centre, while you may be able to see some penguins waddling around north of the freeway (i.e. Bass Highway), including places like Ulverstone, Devonport, and even the town that's named Penguin. (updated Sep 2022)
  • Macquarie Island, Tasmania. Australia's Subantarctic jewel may officially be a part of Tasmania, but the penguins you'll see here are nowhere near identical to the adorable blue fairy penguins you'll see on the Tasmanian mainland. Here, you'll find the near-threatened royal penguin (though they don't get to declare themselves as the monarch of the island) and a plethora of king, southern rockhopper, and gentoo penguins. As it's a Subantarctic island, it's not open for regular tourism but cruise ships that depart from Hobart do pay a visit to Macca. (updated Sep 2022)
  • New Zealand. Penguins can be seen in places like Oamaru and Akaroa. (updated Dec 2017)
  • South Africa. Home to African penguins. They can be seen at Boulders Beach, and at Betty's Bay in Overberg. Both are within a 90-minute drive of Cape Town. (updated Jun 2017)
  • Galapagos Islands. The archipelago is the home of the endemic Galapagos penguin and is the northernmost habitat of any penguin species. Indeed, a small part of the Isabela Island, one of the islands on which the penguins thrive, extends across the Equator, making this the only place in the Northern Hemisphere with a wild penguin population. (updated Jun 2017)

Sea lions

See also

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