Scientific Name: Spheniscus demersus

Common Names:

English: African Penguin, also known as Jackass Penguins (from the braying sound that a donkey makes), Cape Penguin, Black-footed Penguin

Afrikaans: Afrika pikkewyn, Brul-pikkewyn

Xhosa: Inguza, Unombombiya

Penguins are approximately 50cm tall and adult birds weigh between 2-4kgs. Their swimming speed is 15-20kph and they can reach diving depth up to 130m, but usually less than 30m. They can stay under the water for up to 5 minutes. Penguins can live up to 24 years in captivity, but in the wild average 10-11years.

Food: Shoaling Fish like Sardines (Pilchards), anchovies, horse mackerel, round herrings and squid. A penguin not busy raising chicks can eat about 300g of fish per day. (110kg per year)

Juveniles are entirely Blue Grey and are referred to as “Baby Blues” or “Blues”. They do not yet have the unmistakable black and white penguin suit. They retain this juvenile colouring for about 12 – 22 months. Adults have the distinctive Black and white colouring. They have white face markings with a black band over their chest and completely black backs.

Breeding - Breeding season: All year round, but in South Africa normally March – May. They breed from 2 years of age, laying 1-2 white eggs in a burrow. After an incubation period of 40 days the chicks will hatch. It takes between 60-130 days to fledge.

Moulting: Penguins moult once per year, normally between November and January. They first fatten up at sea, increasing their body weight by 30% over a 5 week period and then move onto land where they can spend up to 20 days moulting. They can lose up to 1kg per day whilst in moult.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable and soon to be classified as endangered. Numbers are decreasing rapidly, with research showing an up to 90% decline in some areas in the last 5 years.

Penguin Numbers:

• At the start of the 20th century - more than 2 million.

• Mid 1950’s - Less than 300 000

• Late 1976 - 222 000

• 1986 - 194 000

• 1996 - 179 000

• 2007 - 110 000

Threats: Natural threats to penguins are Sharks, Seals and parasites, but Humans are the penguins biggest threat. Egg collection as well as the harvesting of guano has had an impact on breeding success rate. Over-fishing forces penguins to spend longer periods at sea, leaving their chicks vulnerable to attack from gulls and also forces the penguins to enter strong currents out at sea where they are in danger of being washed away from the colony.

{yoogallery src=[/images/stories/tenikwa-wildlife-african-penguins] width=[70] height=[50] title=[Wildlife Plettenberg Bay] spotlight=[1] thumb=[plain] order=[asc]}