Today’s animal is the African penguin. It belongs to the class Aves and the Phylum Chordata.
Here are some interesting facts about these flightless birds.
Fun Facts:
- Not surprisingly, African penguins can be found along the coast of Africa near Namibia and Algoa Bay.
- They are one of the smallest penguins.
- These penguins have a unique bald spot over their eyes that turns pink when they get hot. This patch helps them cool off when things get toasty.
- These penguins sound like donkeys, so you may also know them as jackass penguins.
- African penguins are the only species of penguins that you can find in Africa.
- The scientific name of the African penguins is Spheniscus demersus.
- The African penguins can sleep while lying down or standing up on rocks.
- The African penguins are monogamous. So, once they have a partner, it’s a partner for life.
- The male penguin is slightly different in appearance from the female. It has a large beak and is larger than the female African penguins.
- If the African penguins live in the wild, you can expect them to live for 10 to 15+ years. The life expectancy can be up to 25 years under the care of human beings.
- An African penguin would enjoy fish and squid in the wild. They enjoy fish of different kinds in the zoo.
- The impact of global warming is affecting marine life, and it can affect the African penguins that are already an endangered species.