Jackass penguin, Black-footed penguin, Cape penguin, South african penguin
The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is a species of penguin that lives in southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless and adapted for a marine habitat. Once extremely numerous, the African penguin is declining rapidly due to a combination of several threats and is classified as endangered. It is a charismatic species and is popular with tourists.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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Flightless birdFlightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species including the well known ratites (ostri...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Pursuit predatorPursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. Pursuit predators r...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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SocialCo
ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe African penguin is a small to medium-sized penguin with black-and-white plumage, serving the animal as a perfect camouflage to protect it from predators. Due to the black feathers on their back, they merge with the environment, remaining unseen to those looking down from above. Meanwhile, the white coloration on the front part of their body allows them to be unspotted by aquatic predators, looking up from below. The penguins have a horseshoe-shaped, white-colored stripe on their face, stretching from around their eyes to their chest as well on the chin, towards the bill. Young penguins possess gray-blue feathers, which darken as they grow up.
African penguins are found along the coast of South Africa and Namibia. They do not migrate and live in colonies on 24 islands between Namibia and Algoa Bay, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa. African penguins spend most of their lives at sea and come ashore to breed and molt.
African penguins are both diurnal and crepuscular. By day, the birds hide in their burrows, escaping the sun. At twilight and dawn, they come out to forage. African penguins are highly social animals. Grooming is a common activity in these animals. They groom each other in order to clean the plumage, rearrange the feathers and take off parasites. In addition, grooming reinforces the social bond between a pair. During their courtship rituals, the birds are extremely noisy, emitting loud calls, which are quite similar to these of donkeys. In order to clean and cool themselves, they frequently take baths, making their bathing spots at a distance of just a few meters from the seashore.
African penguins are carnivores (piscivores). Their diet consists mainly of pilchards, round herrings, anchovies, horse mackerel, and other shoaling pelagic fish. The birds will also consume squid and crustaceans.
These birds are monogamous, mating once in a lifetime. They can use the same breeding sites for many years. African penguins breed all year round with the peak period, occurring in February. Usually, the female digs a burrow or simply uses a hollow under a rock or bush, where she lays 2 eggs, after which both the male and the female incubate the eggs for up to 40 days. During the first month after hatching out, the chicks are fed and cared by both parents. Then they join crèches or groups of other chicks, where they find protection from predators. The chicks stay with their parents, until the age of 3-5 months, after which they leave the colony and start living independently. Male penguins become reproductively mature at 5 years old while females start to breed when they are 4 years old.
Commercial fishing negatively affects the population of the species, reducing prey items and leading to food shortages. Meanwhile, the African penguins compete with Cape Fur Seals for breeding areas as well as prey items. On the other hand, the penguins are threatened by their natural predators. For example, they are prey species for seals, while their eggs and chicks are a source of food for other predators in the area. In addition, these birds currently suffer from oil pollution.
According to the IUCN Red List in 2015, the overall number of African penguin pairs was about 20,850 pairs, or 41,700 mature individuals Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...