King Penguin Receives Norwegian Knighthood

Call him Sir Nils Olav. On Friday, Nils Olav, or actually, the third such King Penguin named Nils Olav, was knighted.

Nilss Olav, or at least the original Nils Olav was made an honorary member of the King's Guard in 1972 after being picked as the guard's mascot by lieutenant Nils Egelien. You can see where the Nils came from but Olav? Norway's king at the time was Olav V. Aha!

Eventually the first penguin died, and was replaced by a second one (no one, apparently, knows exactly when), and eventually a third one (yes, it sounds a lot like the succession of Lassies, right?).

Besides his mascot status, Nils Olav has medals for good conduct and long service and was made honorary colonel-in-chief of the elite Norwegian King's Guard in 2005 (he started in 1972 as a Lance Corporal, and rose through the ranks of Corporal, Sergeant, Regimental Sergeant-Major, Honourable Sergeant Major and, in 2005, to his current rank).

The King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin and stands about 90 cm (3 ft) tall and weighs 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lb).