A frican penguins live in colonies on the coast and islands of southern Africa. Also called jackass penguins, they make donkey-like braying sounds to communicate. To keep dry and insulated in cold water, African penguins are covered in dense, water-proof feathers.
African penguins are also called Jackass penguins or Black-footed penguins found in the southern part, South Africa. Like other penguins, African penguins are also carnivores. They prey mainly on small pelagic fish where, squid, krill, and crab are as an add-on to their diet.
Where do African penguins live?
African Penguins ( Spheniscus demersus) are part of a family of flightless, aquatic birds who are wired for life in the water. African Penguin colonies spread from Namibia on the west coast up to Port Elizabeth on the east coast of South Africa. Boulders #Beach, South Africa is pristine, clean and beautiful.
What is an African penguin?
The African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus ), also known as the Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.
The African penguin, also known as jackass penguins due to its bray resembling that of a donkey’s, lives only in Africa’s southern shores, from Namibia to South Africa. The penguins’ population has rapidly decreased by more than 60% since the early 1980s. There are now about 50,000 individuals, and they are considered Endangered.
Like other penguins, African penguins are also carnivores. They prey mainly on small pelagic fish where, squid, krill, and crab are as an add-on to their diet. They are medium-sized penguins that have a short and strong beak that can efficiently trap the prey without slipping.
Why are they called Penguins in South Africa?
These adorable, flightless birds were given this unfortunate name because of the donkey-like braying sound they emit. In more recent years, however, they’ve become politely known as African penguins. Now that we have that out of the way, you want to know where to see penguins in South Africa, right ?
Located near Simon’s Town, it’s a world-renowned beach village which hosts Cape Town ’s naval base and a community of yacht and boat lovers. But what makes the experience truly unique is sharing your sandy picnic and ocean swims with a colony of South Africa penguins.
What do African penguins sound like?
African penguins make a loud braying sound that has given them the alternative name of the ‘Jackass penguin’. African penguins stand about 27 inches (60 centimetres tall) and weigh from 7 to 11 pounds. (2.5 to 4 kilograms). African penguins live and breed on the coast of South Africa and on the off shore islands.
Another thing we wondered was: how do African penguins sleep?
Like all other birds, these species also require proper sleep for good health. So, these African penguins sleep either standing on the rocks or lying down on them. Sometimes they will tuck the beak under the wings while standing up.