African Penguin

Birds

Class:

AVES

Order:

SPHENISCIFORMES

Family:

SPHENISCIDAE

Scientific Name:

Spheniscus demersus

Where it lives:

Distribution and Habitat:

The only African penguin is mainly distributed along the coasts of Namibia and South Africa (where there are 28 breeding colonies). It frequents both the marine environment and the land.

Size

Social and gregarious, it spends most of its time at sea feeding, usually within 40 km of the coast, using the land only for mating, nesting, and molting. To avoid excessive overheating, penguins are mainly active at dawn and dusk.

Behavior

The African penguin is monogamous and it breeds once a year at around 4-6 years of age in large colonies where partner and chick recognition occurs through a complex system of visual and vocal communication. It lays two eggs in a burrow dug in guano, sand, or vegetation, sheltered from predators and the sun's heat. The eggs are incubated by both parents for about 40 days until hatching; afterward, they take turns caring for and guarding the chicks until the first month of life.

Reproduction

Monogamo, si riproduce una volta l’anno a circa 4/6 anni di età in colonie numerose in cui il riconoscimento del partner e dei pulcini avviene attraverso un complesso meccanismo di comunicazione visiva e vocale. Depone due uova in una buca scavata nel guano, nella sabbia o tra la vegetazione, al riparo dai predatori e dalla calura del sole. Le uova vengono covate da entrambi i genitori per circa 40 giorni, fino alla schiusa; successivamente si alternano nella cura e nella sorveglianza dei pulcini fino al primo mese di vita.

Diet

It feeds alone but more efficiently in groups, which sometimes are very large (up to about 150 individuals) in which penguins surround and push pelagic fish like sardines, anchovies, and herrings to the surface. During hunting, it can stay underwater for over two minutes, diving up to 33 times in an hour.

Did You Know?

The African penguin emits a characteristic call similar to a donkey's bray, hence its English name "Jackass Penguin."

Threat Level

It is a highly endangered specie. Its risk are primarily due to the reduction of its prey from overfishing and climate change and water pollution from plastics, fishing nets and hooks, and accidental oil spills. The current population of the Cape penguin represents only 2% of the population that existed at the beginning of the 1900s.

LEGEND

CITES: The species is protected by the Washington Convention – also known as CITES – which regulates international trade in wild fauna and flora species. CITES is an agreement among over 160 governments that, through international and national laws, regulates or even prohibits the export, import, sale, and possession of many species and their derivatives such as skins or ivory.
EEP/ESB: The species is part of a European conservation program coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), of which the Bioparco is a member. The EEP (Eaza Ex Situ species Programme) includes various actions such as captive breeding for potential releases into the wild, public awareness, and scientific research. The European studbook (ESB) is an inventory aimed at monitoring the status of individuals of a particular species in captivity and generally precedes the EEP.
RED LIST IUCN: The species is included in the Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). This is the most comprehensive inventory that codifies the degree of threat to species globally based on a system of categories and scientifically rigorous quantitative criteria.