African Penguins
Also known as:
Jackass Penguins, Blackfoot Penguins and Spheniscus demersus (Latin) Diet: They eat mainly fish (anchovies, pilchards, sardines, mackerel and herrings) but they also eat squid and shellfish Habitat: The Majority of the African Penguin is found around the Southern coast of Africa. At the moment there are 24 colonies around this colony known to men. There is no place else on Earth were you will come across this specie of penguin Size: African Penguins are about 60cm tall. Boys tend to be a little bigger than girls. They weigh between 2.4 and 3.6kgs. Behaviour and lifestyle: The African Penguins are known as calm animals, in fact there are quiet a few viewing areas were tourist can get extremely close to their natural environment without scaring the penguins or aggressive attacks. There have been reports that they will allow people up to 3 feet before moving away. The African Penguins make a sound that is very similar to the sound of a donkey that they use to communicate with the rest of the colony. African Penguins dive on average to 30m. They can dive as deep as 130m. They hold their breath on a dive for an average of 2.5 minutes. African Penguins can swim up to 20 km per hour when hunting. Their average swimming speed is 7km/h. Due to the unique patterns of black and white, the African Penguin is less likely to be found by predators in the water during their own hunting times. Average life span is 10 years. They start breeding at approximately, 4 yrs old, and normally lay 2 eggs in a nest that is burrowed in guano or sand Incubation period is about 38-42 days, with the mum and dad sharing the incubation duties. They form lifelong mating rituals with one partner. |
"African Penguin population dropped from 1.5 million to less than 150,000 in the past 35 years."