In 1996, we attended the International Penguin Conference in Cape Town for our summer holiday. At that scientific meeting, we met and befriended many of the worlds leading penguin biologists. Peter was also able to contribute, through his professional expertise in Materials Science, to the discussions on the methods used to tag penguins and, as a direct result, is now leading a project with several penguin biologists to design improved marking methods for future use. Peter gave a presentation on this work at the 4th International Penguin Conference in Chile in September 2000. These new plastic bands are being field tested on African penguins on Robben Island in an Earthwatch project led by Peter and several South African biologists. You can find some details of the project on the Earthwatch web site and on the web site of the Avian Demography Unit of the University of Cape Town. Peter is a Physicist at Bristol University, where he leads the Polymer Physics research group. As a scientist, Peter appreciates the need for accurate and clear information we have tried to apply proper academic rigour to the information on this site. The 17 species of penguins form the largest group of flightless birds. Although most people seem to associate penguins with the cold Antarctic regions, in fact penguins can be found around the coasts of most islands in the Southern Ocean. The most northerly penguins are found on the Galapagos Islands which straddle the equator.

Website: http://www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/