Penguins, Please

Let’s start with an experiment. What animal pops into your mind when you think of Africa? Probably you pictured a lion, tiger, elephant or giraffe. Maybe you visualized a leopard or hippopotamus. How many prompts would it take for you to picture a penguin?

Most people associate penguins with cold climates, but penguins actually only need to be near an ocean to thrive. Penguins living in Africa inhabit a series of 24 islands that stretch west and north from the country of South Africa to its neighbor, Namibia. Guess what those islands are called? Yep, the Penguin Islands.

The African penguin is a charismatic species that is known for its loud, donkey-like braying noises, distinctive black and white plumage and large breeding colonies. It is a flightless bird that is well adapted to life at sea and land. Its body is streamlined with modified wings that resemble flippers, which enable efficient swimming. A thick coat with overlapping feathers assists with waterproofing, wind resistance and insulation.

Fun Facts

Here are some interesting facts about African penguins:

• Pink glands above each of their eyes become more colorful when they’re hot.
• They may eat up to 14 percent of their body weight each day.
• After they molt (grow new feathers), they don’t eat for three weeks.
• Both parents take turns shading eggs from the sun until they hatch.
• They build nests out of their own guano.

The African penguin has experienced rapid population declines over the past century as a result of overexploitation for food, habitat modification of nesting sites, oil spills, and competition for food resources with commercial fishing. Scientists estimate that the original population of these creatures numbered as many as four million. The International Union for Conservation of Nature puts the current count at 41,700. As a result, the African penguin is considered officially endangered.

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