Now forbidden, African penguin guano was once excavated and processed into fertilizer and their skins were manufactured into gloves.
Tag: African Penguin
The African penguin is the only species found in Africa. These social, aquatic birds live in large colonies and take part in communal behaviors. With a pelage of black and white feathers that camouflage them from predators, these avians are often mistaken for similar penguin relatives. The African Penguin is endangered due to nest disturbance.
African Penguin
African penguins are popular in ecotourism as they allow humans to approach closely and watch as they interact with their environment.
Free-For-All: African Penguin
Shadowind digitally painted a beautiful display of the African penguin diving underwater to catch a fishy feast. With such vivid colors and lovely gradients, this piece perfectly captures the fluid, fast movement of the penguin as it dives into the sea with other members of its colony.
African Penguin
The primary ecotourism viewing site of African penguins is the colony at False Bay in Simons Town, South Africa with over 2,000 penguins.
African Penguin
Because food availability affects African penguin breeding and survival rates, food shortages in South Africa and Namibia can't maintain population equilibrium.
African Penguin
Both African penguin parents take part in incubating the egg for 40 days using a "brood patch," a patch of a bare skin at the base of the belly, to provide direct heat.
Happy World Penguin Day & Reminders
Happy World Penguin Day, everyone! World Penguin Day is an annual celebration of penguins that happens on April 25th of each year. This date coincides with the annual northward migration of penguins. Celebrate World Penguin Day with FaunaFocus this week! Free-For-all Don't forget about this month's Free-For-All competition. Submit your African penguin-inspired artwork by … Continue reading Happy World Penguin Day & Reminders
African Penguin
African penguins closely resemble the Galapagos penguins of the Pacific Ocean and Humboldt penguins and Magellanic penguins of South America.
African Penguin
African penguins are monogamous as pairs return to the same breeding sites year after year.
African Penguin
Juvenile African penguins initially have dark slate gray-blue feathers that darken with age in about 3 years.
African Penguin
African penguins can swim up to 20 km/h and can travel up to 110 km during each hunting trip, depending on where they forage.
African Penguin
African penguins are also called jackass penguins because they emit loud donkey-like brays, yells, and haws to communicate.
African Penguin Trivia
Do you think you know the African penguin? Test your knowledge of African penguin FaunaFacts with this trivia quiz!
African Penguin
Cape fur seals, sharks, kelp gulls, sacred ibises, mongooses, genets, leopards, and even feral cats and dogs prey on African penguins and their eggs.
African Penguin
The African penguin is endangered and is undergoing a population decline, as a result of commercial fisheries, oil pollution, and shifts in prey populations.
African Penguin
The black and white markings of the African penguin help to camouflage it from both, aquatic and aerial, predators.
African Penguin
African penguins are the most common penguin found in zoos due to their size and temperature requirements.
African Penguin
Male African penguins are distinguishable from females due to their colors and deeper, more robust bills.
African Penguin
African penguins have a longevity of 10-27 years and live longer in captivity than in the wild.
SketchAlong: April 2018
FaunaFocus has had its first SketchAlong! Several viewers tuned in for the Twitch livestream and sketched along with Noelle M. Brooks as she led them through the proportions and anatomy of the African penguin. Using digital materials, ink, and graphite, everyone expressed their own perspective of this peculiar avian. FaunaFocus Calendar
African Penguin
African penguin populations have decreased 50% since 1978, due to nesting and guano collection disturbance, habitat alteration, oil pollution, and competition with fisheries for food.
African Penguin
African penguins can no longer nest in guano due to overharvesting by humans and have begun nesting in open areas and artificial nest-burrows.
African Penguin
African penguins feed on up to 18 species of crustaceans, primarily on small shoaling pelagic fish.
African Penguin
African penguins are largely resident, but some movements occur in response to prey movements.
African Penguin
African penguin courtship involves visual and auditory displays, such as head-swinging, neck extensions, harsh vocal calls, and bowing.
African Penguin
African penguins are marine and usually found within 40 km of the coast, but can remain at sea for up to 4 months.
African Penguin
At 2-4 months, juvenile African penguins leave the colony and later return to breed at 4-6 years.
African Penguin
African penguins breed throughout the year with peak months varying locally.
African Penguin
African penguins gather in breeding areas, called "rookeries," that range from flat, sandy islands with varying degrees of vegetation to steep, rocky islands with little foliage.
African Penguin
African penguins have white, bare skin over their eyes that becomes bright pinkish-red in very hot conditions.
African Penguin
While foraging for food, African penguins leave their hatchlings in crèches, characteristic groups common to birds that breed in colonies.
African Penguin
Fighting between African penguins occurs occasionally and involves the beating of wings and biting.
African Penguin
African penguins are susceptible to four types of blood parasites.