Marine Creature of the Month April '19

Marine Creature of the Month

African Penguin

Aka, flip flop thieves!

Kingdom: Animalia

Class: Aves

Conservation Status: Endangered (EN)

WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

Well, Africa. Duh. Namely, they live along the South African coasts, on some of the surrounding islands, and Namibia. There are a couple of colonies on the mainland, such as Boulder's Bay in Simon's Town which is where the above picture was taken. Traditionally, the colonies would have gathered on the smaller islands because there was less risk of predation. But, with the advent of cities and tourism, the mainland poses less predatory risk for the penguins now. The penguins on the mainland are very friendly and not people-shy at all. I know from first had experience that they will try to walk off with your sandals and being the loving, supporting girlfriend that I am, I definitely laughed and took pictures.

WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

The African penguin is very recognisably a penguin, with its black and white colouring used for counter shading and the trademark waddle. Their bodies are streamlined and have stiff, flipper like wings, making them perfectly adapted for life in the sea rather than the sky. Small in stature, the average adult height for this species of penguin is less than a metre at 60-70cm (24-28in). The average adult weight reflects this at 2.2-3.5kg (4.9-7.7lb). For some context, I have bought a bag of baking oats which weighs more than the average penguin.

What makes them recognisably African penguins is the distinctive black band around their white belly and spray of spots it. Each pattern is unique and can be used to identify individual penguins. They also have a pink gland above their eyes, which is used for thermoregulation. It can get very hot in South Africa and they use this gland to control their temperatures. As they get hotter, the gland becomes a darker pink. There is sexual dimorphism between the male and female African penguins; the males have bigger beaks.

Posing.

HOW DO THEY LIVE?

In the wild, they live between 10 and 27 years. In captivity, this averages around 30 years. They spend this time as most animals do, reproducing and eating. African penguin eggs are laid in clutches of two, inside a burrow of guano. They incubate for about 40 days, and care of the egg is done by both parents. Once hatched, one parent stays behind to care for the chick while the other forages and hunts. This happens for a month before the chicks are old enough to be left in a creche of the other chicks, enabling both parents to hunt. Between the age of 60 and 130 days, the chicks will fledge, which means develop wings strong enough for flight. Or, in the case of penguins, strong enough to swim. How long it takes them to fledge depends on environmental factors. For the next couple years, they will stay at sea  alone before returning to their natal colony to continue the cycle.

Juvenile penguins differ from their parents, visually, in that they are a grey-blue or brown colour, rather than the distinctive tuxedo. But like their parents, once mature they will return to the same breeding site every year. On the mainland, the breeding season is between March and May, though it is during the winter months on the islands. The females are usually fertile for 10 years.

At sea is where they hunt. African penguins are pursuit divers. Rather than plunging from a height in the air to their prey, they will dive deep to chase their prey. They usually travel as deep as 25m and stay under water for over a minute. More extreme dives have bee recorded, like going as deep as 130m, but these are uncommon. They feed on fish and squid.

WHAT THREATENS THEM?

African penguins have natural predators; sharks, seals, leopards, domesticated cats, just to name a few. Unfortunately, human life has also had an impact on their populations. Over fishing in the southern Atlantic has led to a decline in their preferred prey. For the most part, African penguins have adapted by hunting a new fish. However, the fish they now hunt have less nutritional value, containing less fat and protein than their previous diet. This affects the overall health of the population.

They are also affected by the fact that people take the guano they use for building nests. Mankind uses it for fertiliser, penguins use it to thermoregulate their nests. Without the layer of guano, their eggs are susceptible to the high temperatures of the environment which, effectively, kills the eggs. Parents abandon unprotected nests, so they are vulnerable to creatures which prey on eggs as well as the extreme temperatures.

Chillin'.

FUN FACTS

• African penguins are also known as "Jackass penguins" for the donkey-like braying noise they make.
• Their beaks are pointier than Humboldt penguin beaks.
• Due to rapid population decline over the last 100 years, it is believed that they will be extinct in the wild by 2026. A mere seven years from now. 
• African penguins are monogamous, only mating with one partner their whole lives.
• When they molt, their new feathers are not initially waterproof. They need to wait three weeks for them to become waterproof.

What is your favourite penguin? Know any good penguin facts? Share below!

All the photos were taken by me, on our trip to South Africa two years ago at Boulder's Bay, Simon's Town, Cape Town. On that day we also saw an octopus washing in with the tide and a seal.

Pinterest Board: #MCotM April '19

Listening to: Sing-Along Indie Hits