Wildlife
African penguins are one of the few species of penguin that do not need to worry about freezing temperatures and Antarctic snow. For Africa’s only breeding penguin, extremely high temperatures are the biggest challenge. They live in colonies on the islands and rocky shores between Namibia and South Africa, where they spend most of the time at sea feeding on small shoaling fish such as anchovies and sardines.
African penguins are also called ‘jackass’ penguins because they emit a loud, braying donkey-like call. The black and white plumage cleverly camouflages them from predators: the white chest and belly helps hide them from aquatic threats below, and the black back protects from aerial predators above.
Scientific name: Spheniscus demersus
Rank: Species
In order to see this content you need to have an up-to-date version of Flash installed and Javascript turned on.
Slipping around
Rocks can be just as slippery as ice for African penguins.
Rocks can be just as slippery as ice for African penguins.
Sun burn
No other penguin has to protect their eggs from the African sun.
No other penguin has to protect their eggs from the African sun.
Penguin penthouse
Jackass penguins use abandoned buildings on the Namibian coast.
Jackass penguins use abandoned buildings on the Namibian coast.
The African penguin can be found in a number of locations including: Africa. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the African penguin distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Vulnerable
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as the Black-footed Penguin is a species of penguin, confined to southern African waters. It is also widely known as the "Jackass" Penguin for its donkey-like bray, although several related species of South American penguins produce the same sound. Like all penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Adults weigh on average 2.2–3.5 kg (4.9–7.7 lb) and are 60–70 cm (24–28 in) tall. It has distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes and a black facial mask; the body upperparts are black and sharply delineated from the white underparts, which are spotted and marked with a black band.
The African Penguin is a pursuit diver and feeds primarily on fish and squid. Once extremely numerous, the African Penguin is declining due to a combination of threats and is classified as endangered. It is a charismatic species and is popular with tourists in the region.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. If you find the content in the 'About' section factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia. For more information on our use of Wikipedia please read our FAQ.
BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Paternal care
Helpless young
Adapted to swimming
Camouflage
Colonial
Courtship display
Acoustic communication
Maternal care
Monogamous
Egg layer
Predator
Social
Chemical communication
Visual communication