African Penguin

 

African Penguin

Photo by Taylor McLagan 

AFRICAN PENGUIN: Spheniscus demersus
FAMILY: Sphenisciformes

Size: African penguins grow to be about 26.5 to 27.5 inches tall and weigh between 4.4 and 11 pounds. Males are larger than females and have larger beaks.

HABITAT: African penguins are usually found within 24 miles of the shore, coming onshore to a variety of coastal habitats to breed, molt, and rest.

RANGE: This type of penguin breeds on the African mainland, ranging from Hollams Bird Island, Namibia to Bird Island, Algoa Bay, South Africa. Although it was previously bred in more areas, it has unfortunately been eliminated from much of its habitat.

MIGRATION: Juvenile African penguins tend to disperse along the coastline to the west and north. The Penguins regularly reach southern Angola and vagrants have been found off Gabon, Congo, and Mozambique.

BREEDING: Breeding takes place from May through August on rocky ground with little or no vegetation. These penguins excavate nest burrows wherever possible, with guano being the preferred nesting substrate.

LIFE CYCLE: This penguin's average lifespan in the wild is 20 years.

RANGE MAP:

The Endangered African Penguin

Penguins first emerged in New Zealand and Antarctica towards the end of the Cretaceous Period, following the extinction of dinosaurs approximately 65 million years ago. However, the African
penguin is relatively young, with an estimated age of 2-4 million years. Some theories suggest that these penguins migrated from Antarctica during a period of cooler climate. Fossils discovered in Langebaanweg near Saldanha Bay indicate that larger penguin species previously inhabited southern Africa, but have since become extinct, leaving the African penguin as
the sole surviving penguin species in the region. 

The population of African penguins has declined by over 95% since pre-industrial times and the species is listed as endangered. Current estimates show the species will go extinct by 2026 if current climate change and human activity trends continue.

The largest population of African penguins is located on Dyer Island off the coast of Gansbaai, South Africa.  Dyer Island is managed by a local eco-tourism company called Dyer Island Conservation Trust. Dyer Island also contains the largest seal population in the world.

“If we kill off the wild, then we are killing off a part of our

souls.” - Jane Goodall

Current Populations: 

According to the ICUN Red List, there are a total of 41,700 mature African Penguins left today.

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697810/157423361#population

Why are penguins important?

The African penguin is the exclusive penguin species living in Africa. They have significant functions in their ecosystem, serving as prey for sharks and seals, while also preying on small fish like anchovies and sardines.

African penguins also have economic value as they attract tourists for ecotourism purposes. Visitors can observe their behavior in their natural environment. Sadly, humans have played a significant role in their decline as locals have historically harvested their eggs for food and profit, which has had a severe impact on their population.

Cause of Decline

Penguins face numerous threats such as toxic plastics, resource competition, habitat destruction, and invasive species. To assist these animals, we need to provide as much help as possible. We can examine the challenges penguins encounter regularly and explore solutions to support them presently and in the long term. It has survived five centuries and the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.

The causes for the decline in African Penguin populations are multifaceted, but they are largely rooted in human actions. Overfishing and warming sea levels caused by climate change contribute to a loss of the fish on which penguins rely as a primary food source. Guano mining and human disturbance on penguin nesting grounds reduce their reproductive success. Short-term disasters like oil spills and disease outbreaks also pose a serious threat

Local communities have also long considered African penguin eggs to be a delicacy. People legally collected these eggs and sold them well into the 1970s. The people who collected these eggs would smash older eggs before larger collecting efforts to ensure that the eggs they were harvesting were fresh. It’s a brutal approach, but it wasn’t only to meet the demand of nearby townspeople – beginning in the 1950s, French chefs sought after the African penguin eggs, too, fueling cruel and unsustainable harvesting practices.

The story gets bleaker, though. People began to harvest the penguin guano from islands where the colonies lived. Farmers then used the guano as fertilizer for their soil. These practices eliminate the necessary burrowing material available to the penguins.

Why should we care about penguins? Not only are African Penguins, and all penguin species, important to their ecosystems, African Penguins have a very important cultural significance in South Africa. The African penguin is Africa’s only penguin species and one of 18 global penguin species. They are sentinels of the ocean and the African penguin is thus a symbol of South Africa’s marine ecosystem and its health. The African penguin plays a significant role in South Africa’s ecotourism. In the Western Cape, there are tourist attractions at the Simon’s Town colony, which includes Boulders in Table Mountain National Park, and the Stony Point colony in Betty’s Bay. Economic benefits associated with these land-based colonies include income generated through entrance fees, job provision at the colonies as well as other benefits to surrounding areas (e.g. restaurants, accommodation, transport services). Ecosystem importance includes African penguins transferring large amounts of nutrients from the ocean to their colonies, influencing the functioning of the island/colony ecosystem and adjacent marine areas. Their guano is washed into the sea, promoting algal growth, and influencing the growth of intertidal communities which support shorebirds and other marine invertebrates. How can you help?  1 2 3 Participate in beach cleanups If you live by the beach or are just visiting, beach cleanups are the easiest way to clean up plastic pollution for all species. Local initiatives around penguin colonies can help save lives by cleaning up trash pollution so seabirds aren't at risk of swallowing.  Identify reputable conservation organizations and keep up to date with the information shared Support reputable organizations like the Southern African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds or local initiatives in the communities surrounding these birds. Other organizations and wildlife rehab centers like the African Seabird Sanctuary to help injured wildlife are great to support as well. Eat Right  Eating ethical and sustainably sourced meat (or less meat in general) drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions and will help with the climate crisis. Eating sustainably sourced fish reduces by-catch and helps to manage overfishing crises in the oceans.