Three Facts About The Endangered African Penguin

Living up to 20 years African penguins are flightless marine birds coming in a variety of sizes and colors.

Growing to be about 26.5 to 27.5 inches tall and weighing between 4.4 and 11 pounds the endangered African Penguin lives on the Southern coast of Africa.

African penguins breed from Hollams Bird Island Namibia to Bird Island Algoa Bay in South Africa. Gansbaai South Africa Dyer Island is a protected bird sanctuary home to large colonies of threatened African Penguins.

Three Facts About African Penguins

Fact 1
The African penguin, or black-footed penguin, is also nicknamed the jackass penguin because it’s mating call sounds like a whinnying donkey. They spend their days at sea feeding and their nights gathered together on shore. Like all penguins, African penguins are much more agile in water than on land swimming up to 12 miles per hour. Each penguin eats about one pound of fish per day feeding on small fish such as sardines and anchovies, crustaceans and squid. Each penguin eats about one pound of fish per day.

Fact 2
African Penguins are the only penguin species that breed in Africa and it is found nowhere else in the world. African Penguins are monogamous and the same pair will normally return to the same colony and often the same nest site each year on Dyer Island to be together.

Fact 3
African penguins are currently classified as vulnerable or threatened under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN red data list criteria. Unfortunately if the current trends continue it is only a matter of time before the African Penguin becomes endangered. The African penguin is an endangered species whose population has declined by 90 percent since the turn of the 20th century.

Did you know?
The population of African Penguins was estimated at 179,000 in 1998 and is still declining despite conservation efforts. African Penguins are the only penguin species that breed in Africa.