Until recently, the gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) was thought to be a single, wide-spread species, but researchers now have evidence that it consists of four separate species, one of them previously unknown to science. This is the first new penguin species described in more than 100 years – the Northern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi) was named in 1921. Before this survey, were you aware that a new species of penguins was identified?

The discovery was made by an international team of penguin experts led by scientists from University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and several institutions from Chile. The findings were published in the journal Communications Biology in April 2026. The newly recognized species, Pygoscelis kerguelensis, resides in one of the most isolated places on Earth – Kerguelen Islands (also known as Desolation Islands), located in the southern Indian Ocean, 450km from the closest land. It looks virtually identical to any other gentoo, but exhibits slight differences in size and vocalization, and is clearly genetically different. Did you know that gentoo penguins are now categorized with four species of penguins?

The researchers also concluded that three previously recognized subspecies of gentoo penguins are genetically distinct enough to be elevated to species status: 1) Eastern lineage Pygoscelis taeniata, residing on the Crozet, Marion and Macquarie Islands 2) Northern lineage Pygoscelis papua, restricted to the Falkland/Malvinas and Martillo Islands in South America, and 3) the most populous, southern lineage Pygoscelis ellsworthi, which thrives on the Antarctic Peninsula, coastal Antarctica and South Georgia Island. Have you ever seen a real penguin?