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  Profile

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  In flight

Penguins

African Penguin

Spheniscus demersus

• rare
• 8 km/h
• Critically Endangered

Brays like a donkey to announce delivery. The jackass penguin earns its nickname.

Population

~19,800 mature individuals (roughly 8,750 breeding pairs; breeding population fell below 10,000 pairs by 2023), declining rapidly (~95%+ decline since pre-industrial estimates of ~1-4 million birds)

Habitat

Rocky and sandy coastal islands and a few mainland sites along the southern African coast; forages in cool, nutrient-rich inshore and offshore waters of the Benguela and Agulhas current systems

Fun fact

Each African Penguin has a unique pattern of black spots on its white chest, similar to a human fingerprint, which researchers use to identify individual birds in photo-ID studies.

Range

Coasts and offshore islands of Namibia and South Africa, from central Namibia to Algoa Bay near Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha; the only penguin species that breeds on the African continent

Diet

Pursuit-diving predator of small pelagic schooling fish, chiefly sardines (pilchards) and anchovies, supplemented by squid and crustaceans

Size

0.65 m

Lifespan

25 years