African Penguin

Alejandra Resendiz
7
th
Period
African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus
Global Distribution
a) They are found all throughout Africa's SouthWestern coastal waters,
ranging from Namibia to South Africa.
b) Distribution Ma
c) !t is found only in the African continent and the islands that surround
it. "ommon countries were this enguin is found include, South Africa
and Namibia.
d) They are usually found around #$%&$ 'ilometers of the shore. They
nest in burrows, and hunt in nutrient rich water currents offshore.
African (enguins form colonies on roc'y shores when they are
breeding. !t li)es in a coastal a*uatic biome.
Key Facts
a) "lassification
+!N,D-M. Animalia
(/012M. "hordata
"1ASS. A)es
-3D43. Shenisciformes
,4N2S. Sheniscus
,4N2S S(4"!4S. Spheniscus demersus
b) They are around 56 to 76 centimeters and weight about 7 ounds.
c) African (enguins can li)e to be anywhere from 68 to 9$ years.

d) The African (enguins are medium in si:e. They ha)e a notable blac'
band across their chest with multile blac' sotting around their
bodies. Aart from the blac' mar'ings they ha)e a uniform white
color. Their big blac' eyes are surrounded by a white eyebrow.
e) Some related organisms include the galaagos enguin and the
magellanic enguin.
Lifestyle
a) !t eats ancho)ies, sardines, s*uids, crustaceans, and other small fish.
b) The enguins ha)e a series of sines in their throats for catching food.
They ;um into the water and use their bea' to gather the fish or 'rill
li'e a net.
c) Some of its most common redators include shar's and fur seals. !n
addition seagulls, mongoose, and cats rey on enguin nest and the
offsrings within them.
d) Their niche is to ta'e care of their young, as well as hel balance the
marine food web by eating many organisms including four tyes of
blood arasites.
Reproduction
a) They ha)e courtshi rituals tyically beginning with the male ma'ing
)isual and auditory dislays to attract a mate. Ne<t they do swinging
motions to attract mates to a secial site. The attraction is mainly
based uon the attern of color.
b) The male maturity is of 8 years and the female is of & years.
c) =reeding ta'es lace throughout the year, and there is a &$ days
incubation eriod.
d) 4ach female lays only two eggs yearly.
e) =oth arents feed the young for one month, and the young lea)e once
they ha)e de)eloed their lumage. This ta'es 9 to & months.
f) !n aerance no clear distinction can be made. !n regards to actions,
males are resonsible for creating the nest, and for finding their
female mate.
Adaptations
a) They emit a loud, don'ey li'e noise to communicate. They ha)e three
calls. bray, yell, and haw. A bray is a dislay call, a yell is a warning
call, and a haw is used to communicate when one enguin is on land
and the other in water.
b) They don't ha)e feathers on their legs, and they ha)e bare atches on
their faces that hel them get rid of e<cess heat *uic'er. They li)e in
large colonies to rotect each other.
c) African (enguins breed in huge and noisy colonies. They lay their
eggs in burrows to rotect their eggs. They are not nocturnal as they
function in bright daylight.
d) !n order to mo)e the enguin has webbed feet that they use to mo)e
from one lace to another. They also use their bellies to slide at a
faster seed. This hels it sur)i)e because it lets the enguin find
food.
e) The main defense mechanism for enguins is their swimming ability.
They slide and ma'e shar turns in order to escae redators.
Interactions with Humans
a) African enguins are mainly used by humans for their aesthetic )alue.
They are used for ecotourism in :oos and dislay sites.
b) There are no myths or re;udices related to this secies.
c) This secies is mar'ed as endangered by the 2.S >ederal list.
d) The initial decline was due to the commercial sale of their eggs, but it
has stoed. Today the main threat is oil ollution.
e) "urrently this secies is being rotected by holding a large ortion of
them in reser)ations and institutions. 1arge fines are laced for the
disturbance of this secies which hels ta'e care of them.
Wor !ited
Animal Diversity Web. (n.d.). ADW: Spheniscus demersus: INFORMATION.
Retrieved November 18, 2013, from
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ac
ANIA! "#$%& ' Afri(an )en*+in. (n.d.). ANIMAL BYTES - African en!uin.
Retrieved November 18, 2013, from ,tt-.//000.sea0orld.or*/animal'
info/animal'
bytes/animalia/e+meta1oa/(oelomates/de+terostomes/(,ordata/(raniata/aves/s-
,enis(iformes/afri(an'-en*+in.,tm2s(
Animals. (n.d.). African pen!uin. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from
,tt-.//000.nea3.or*/animals4and4e5,ibits