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19th November 2024 (10 Topics)

African penguins (Spheniscus demersus)

Context

African penguins could be extinct by 2035, if not saved. At present there are fewer than 20,000 birds left in the wild.

About

  • They are found only in Namibia and South Africa. 
  • Protection:African penguins have been protected under South Africa’s Sea Birds and Seals Protection Act since 1973 (and more recently under the Marine Threatened or Protected Species Regulations since 2017).
  • They have pink glands above their eyes that they can send blood to help cool down in the summer heat. The hotter a penguin is, the pinker its eyebrow glands become.
  • African penguins live in large colonies. They spend their days at sea feeding and their nights gathered together on shore. 
  • They are excellent swimmers with perfectly streamlined bodies. They can swim up to 12 mph.
  • They are monogamous, meaning they have one partner throughout their life.

Fact Box: Penguins

  • Penguins are flightless birds often associated with cold temperatures and icy habitats. 
  • All penguins live south of the equator, from the icy waters of Antarctica to the tropical Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, almost astride the equator.
  • Penguins are specialized marine birds adapted to living at sea.
  • There are 18 penguin species.
    • emperor – Aptenodytes forsteri
    • king – Aptenodytes patagonica
    • Adélie – Pygoscelis adeliae
    • gentoo – Pygoscelis papua
    • chinstrap – Pygoscelis antarcticus
    • northern rockhopper – Eudyptes moseleyi
    • southern rockhopper – Eudyptes chrysocom
    • macaroni – Eudyptes chrysolophus
    • royal – Eudyptes schlegeli
    • Fiordland crested – Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
    • erect-crested – Eudyptes sclateri
    • Snares Island – Eudyptes robustus
    • yellow-eyed – Megadyptes antipodes
    • fairy (little blue) – Eudyptula minor
    • Magellanic – Spheniscus magellanicus
    • Humboldt – Spheniscus humboldti
    • African – Spheniscus demersus
    • Galapagos – Spheniscus mendiculus
  • The Antarctic Treaty legally protects all Antarctic penguins.
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