Southern Rockhopper penguin, Northern Rockhopper penguin, Northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, Moseley's penguin
The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi ) is a penguin species native to the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockhopper penguin.
A study published in 2009 showed that the population of the northern rockhopper had declined by 90% since the 1950s. For this reason, the northern rockhopper penguin is classified as endangered.
Di
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 ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
A piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
A planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are usually photosynthet...
Se
SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
Fl
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...
Pr
PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Bu
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 ...
Na
NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Te
TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Mo
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...
So
SocialCo
ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
No
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.
Mi
MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
R
starts withThese birds are the smallest yellow-crested penguins. The Rockhopper penguin has a yellow crest on its head, consisting of two separate parts and made up of long, thin, yellow feathers, forming eyebrows that stretch behind each eye of the animal. The crest is black on the back of the head. The head, neck, tail, flippers, and upper parts are black, whereas the underparts are white. The legs are short and the feet are webbed, colored in pale pink, and equipped with black claws. The underside of their flippers is white and fringed with black. The Rockhopper penguins have red eyes. The beak is thick, colored in pinkish-red to reddish-horn. Chicks of this species are identified by the grey head and upper parts and white underparts. Juveniles, on the other hand, exhibit duller bare parts and shorter crest, compared to that adult penguins. Both sexes look alike, though males are noticeably larger than females, having thicker beaks.
Although the area of their distribution depends on species, these birds are usually found in the sub-Antarctic as well as parts of the southern Indian and Pacific Oceans. Breeding areas of the Northern rockhoppers are Amsterdam and St Paul Islands, and the islands of Tristan da Cunha. Southern rockhoppers occur at the tip of South America, breeding in the Pacific Ocean and on sub-Antarctic islands of the Indian Ocean. These penguins live on rocky shorelines, nesting and constructing their burrows in tall grasses known as tussocks.
These penguins are highly sociable animals, nearly always seen in colonies. In fact, the rockhopper penguin is the most aggressive and numerous penguin species in the world. From the end of the summer to the beginning of the autumn, the penguins leave their breeding colonies, going out to sea, where they live and feed for 3-5 months. Rockhopper penguins are diurnal animals. When on land, they move by jumping over rocks, boulders, and rocky cracks instead of sliding on their belly, as most penguins do. When resting, these animals usually hide their head under their wing. When the penguin shakes its head, the yellow crest takes shape of a “halo”, which attracts mates. These birds use various forms of communication, including head shaking, head and flippers weaving, bowing, gesturing, and preening.
Rockhopper penguins are carnivorous (piscivorous). The diet of these penguins primarily consists of fish, octopus, cuttlefish, krill, squid, mollusks, planktons as well as crustaceans.
Rockhopper penguins have a monogamous mating system, forming lifelong pairs. The mating season occurs at the beginning of spring or by the end of summer. Every year, they return to the same nesting grounds. Their nests are holes, scratched in the ground and defined by dried grasses. Two eggs are laid and incubated for 32-34 days by both parents, which take turns every 7-17 days. As a general rule, the male is responsible for rearing the chicks, whereas the female forages to provide the offspring with food. By 3 weeks old, the hatchling joins a crèche of other chicks, where it finds protection. Reaching the age of 6572 days, the chick molts, leaving the nest and going out to sea.
One of the serious concerns, threatening the population of these birds is humans: people occasionally hunt the Rockhopper penguins and collect their eggs, which is particularly common in southern Chile. Commercial fisheries significantly decrease the number of prey items throughout the area of their range. In addition, these animals presently suffer from oil spills. On the other hand, the animals are exposed to environmental changes, which negatively affect the productivity among these penguins and reduce the number of prey in their main foraging areas. In fact, climate change is considered to be the primary reason for the sharp decline of the population on the Falkland Islands.
The exact number of these penguin populations is presently unknown though decreasing. The population of Southern rockhopper is considered to be more than 1.5 million breeding pairs, being classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; Northern rockhoppers are estimated at approximately 240,300 pairs and are listed as Endangered species.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...