African penguins are also susceptible to oil spills, killing large numbers of this species. See Related: What is Overfishing? Examples & Solutions to Prevent African Penguin PredatorsĪfrican penguins have several predators, including leopard seals, cape fur seals, jackass penguins, kelp gulls, and brown skuas. Their extinction would lead to a significant loss in revenue and tourism for the country. They are an essential part of the food chain on the African coastline, and their extinction would cause a ripple effect throughout the ecosystem.Īdditionally, these species are an essential part of the tourism industry in South Africa. The penguin would be a significant loss to the world’s biodiversity. African penguins are endangered due to overfishing, oil spills, and climate change. These species are also popular tourist attractions, which bring much-needed revenue to the country. African penguins are essential to the ecosystem’s health because they help keep the population of fish in check. They also eat invertebrates, such as squid, octopus, and crustaceans. African penguins are carnivores, and their diet consists of mostly fish. The African penguin is a keystone species in the ecosystems of South Africa. See Related: List of Animals that Mate for Life African Penguin Role in the Ecosystems Those who do not go back home may relocate to other colonies so they can molt and reproduce. Many penguins migrate for one to two years to molt into their adult plumage and return to their birthplace. One such breeding colony is located on Robben Island, which is located off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.Īnother breeding colony can be found on Dyer Island, which is located off the coast of Gansbaai, South Africa. Several breeding colonies of these birds can be found on bird island. The penguin chicks will fledge at around 60 days old. They typically lay two eggs, but only one chick will normally survive. The African penguin breeding season is typical during October and November. These penguins reach sexual maturity at about four years and can live anywhere from 10 to 25 years in the wild. A month after they hatch, chicks join a crèche, which allows their parents to resume feeding more normally. The male and female take turns incubating the African penguin eggs. These penguins will use artificial nests if they are provided. These sand nests are inferior to guano nests due to exposure to the elements and ready access to predators, including kelp gulls, but can be used for successful breeding. These penguins naturally dig nesting burrows into thick guano deposits, but if humans have removed these, they will make scrapes in the sand under the shelter of bushes. They are also the only penguin species that mate in Africa. African Penguin Mating HabitsĪfrican penguins are monogamous, and a pair will return to the same nesting site year after year during the breeding season if it is not disturbed or destroyed. The Penguins typically eat around 450 grams of food per day. Their diet is relatively low in calcium, so they need to consume bones and scales from their prey to fulfill their calcium requirements. An African penguin can stay underwater for roughly two and a half minutes when diving after prey. The penguins have a specially adapted beak that is excellent for catching fish. They will also consume other smaller fish and crustaceans, and squid. They are fish eaters, predominantly consuming anchovies, pilchards, herring, horse mackerel, and sardines. They are found on the African continent and the islands near it, mainly in the Benguela Current. These species live in the cold, coastal waters of South Africa and Namibia. Still, they seldom venture further than 40 kilometers from land. They are colonial birds, though they spend large amounts of time at sea when not breeding. The birds are also found along the shores of nearby African nations, but they do not breed there. Their braying call gives them the nickname “Jackass penguin.” LocationĪfrican penguins are found along the southern African coast, including the coastal waters out to 40 kilometers (singly, in pairs, or groups of up to 150) and 25 islands, and four onshore breeding sites.Īll breeding sites is in Namibia and South Africa. Like other penguins, they have a compact, upright build, wings specialized for swimming rather than flying, and unique patterns of black and white that are possessed only by a single bird, making individual identification possible. Several other species in the Spheniscus genus, including Pacific ocean and Humboldt penguins, and Magellanic penguins of South America They weigh between 2.5 and 5 kg (5.5 and 11 lb) and are about 60 cm (24 in) tall.Īfrican penguins resemble their close penguin relatives. African Penguins have a blackhead, neck, and chest with white patches on their belly, flippers, and tail. Their black and white plumage easily recognizes them.
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