African+Penguin+2011

African PenguinLekha and Casey

Characteristics: The African penguins weigh 11 pounds.They are up to 27 inches tall.The African penguins are also known as the Black--Footed penguins.The African penguins have black lines down their back.They have a black upside down U-shape on their neck with black speckles on their chest.They have large black beaks and black feet.They also have featherless pink areas around the eyes.

Habitat:They mainly live and breed on islands in the temperate waters of the Benguela current of the southwest African coast.They are only found on 28 world sites.Only three colonies are on the mainland and all the other colonies are on island. They breed and moult on rocky off -shore islands. Food:They are carnivores and hunt for their food in the ocean.The diet of an African penguins consists mainly of fish, such as pilchards, anchovies, and crustaceans, of which krill is the principal species. They also eat squid, sardines,mackerel and small fish.They will eat up to one pound of food each day.

Predators: Sharks and fur seals hunt African penguins in the water. Seagulls, Mongoose , and cats prey on nesting penguins and their offspring.Gulls steal the eggs and chicks on land. Cats steal eggs and chicks too.

Babies:African penguins gather in breeding areas called rookeries in September and February.They lay two green eggs.They mostly start breeding after the age of four.Breeding with the same mate and usually at the same nest each year.Both parents sit on the eggs for 39 days, and switch daily.Babies stay in the nest for 30 days.Incubation lasts about 5 weeks.

Other Interesting Facts:When African penguins become hot,the pink glands around their eyes become more pink.African penguins have an average swimming speed of 7kilometers/ 1 hour but they can reach speed of 20 kmilometers /1 hour when they are hunting.They can stay under water for 2 1/2 minutes!They are well known for their donkey like call.

Future: The African penguins in the past 35 years their population dropped from 1.5 million to less than 150,000. media type="file" key="CASEY.MOV"media type="file" key="lekha.MOV" align="right"