Spectacled penguin in Africa donkey. Fact: The spectacled penguin is a penguin native to Africa.

Class - Birds / Subclass - New palates / Superorder - Penguinaceae

History of the study

Spectacled penguin, or donkey penguin, or black-footed penguin (lat. Spheniscus demersus) is a species of bird from the genus of spectacled penguins.

Spreading

The distribution area is the coast of South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands in the area of ​​​​the cold Benguela Current. Lives in colonies. Today the population is estimated at 140-180 thousand individuals. Moreover, in the 1900s the population was estimated to be at least 2 million individuals.

Appearance

The spectacled penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is comparable in size to the Magellanic and Humboldt penguins. Its length, on average, is 68 cm, and its weight is 2.1-3.7 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. They also have a taller bill, but the differences are clearly visible when the birds stand side by side. Spectacled penguins are black above and white below. They have a narrow black horseshoe-shaped stripe on their chest, which goes down the sides of the body to the paws. Some birds have a double stripe, like the Magellanic penguin. Besides, white stripe goes around the back of the head and cheeks and then goes forward to the eyes and further in the direction of the beak, but does not reach the beak.

Reproduction

The nesting period of the spectacled penguin is extended. In most colonies, birds at any stage of the nesting cycle can be found throughout the year. However, there are still some regional differences: peak breeding in Namibia occurs in November-December, while in South Africa– for March-May. Spectacled penguins are monogamous and the same pair will usually return to the same colony and nest. 80-90% of pairs remain together for the next breeding season. There are cases where partners stayed together for more than 10 years. The clutch consists of 2 eggs. Both parents alternately incubate her for 40 days. The duration of partner changes depends on feeding conditions and averages 2.5 days. Both parents take care of the chicks, and for the first 15 days, until thermoregulation is established, one of them constantly warms the chicks. Further, up to a month of age, while the chicks are still small and one of the parents protects them from attack by seagulls. After this, both parents can go to sea to feed the chicks. At this time, the penguin chicks form “nurseries”, which serve mainly to protect them not from predation by gulls, but from attacks from adult birds. "Fledglings" leave the colony at the age of 60-130 days. The duration of the nesting period, the weight of fledglings, and the productivity of the breeding season depend on the availability and quality of food. After leaving the colony, young birds become independent. They spend 12-22 months at sea, after which they return to their home colony, where they molt into adult plumage.

Lifestyle

Penguins in water can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h, dive deeper than 100 m and hold their breath for 2-3 minutes. During feeding they can swim 70-120 km in the ocean. They feed mainly on small fish (fry of herring, anchovies, sardines, etc.). The main enemies are humans, sharks, seagulls (for chicks), fur seals (as a competitor for prey and as a predator) and feral cats (for chicks and eggs in some colonies).

The cries of penguins resemble those of donkeys. A penguin lives 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth at 4-5 years. The clutch consists of two eggs, which are incubated by both parents in turn for about 40 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tint. The breeding season is not clearly defined and varies depending on the location.

Nutrition

Spectacled penguins feed mainly on pelagic schooling fish species, such as anchovies, sardines, as well as mollusks and crustaceans.

Number

The species is listed in the International Red Book. On at the moment There are 27 spectacled penguin colonies, of which only three are on the mainland coast. And in another 10 places the birds no longer nest, although they nested there before. Currently, the world population is about 70,000 pairs, but this is only 10% of what it was in 1900, when on only one island. About 1.5 million birds nested in Dassin. By 1956 the number of penguins was halved, and then the next halving of numbers occurred by the end of the 1970s, when about 220 thousand adult birds were counted. By the end of the 1980s. the number dropped to 194 thousand individuals, and in the early 1990s. it amounted to 197 thousand adult birds. By the end of the 1990s. the number began to increase slightly and in 1999 reached 224 thousand individuals. The reasons for this decline in the number of spectacled penguins are well known. At first, this was caused by the extraction of birds and their eggs for food, as well as the collection of guano in their colonies. Currently, the main threats come from commercial fishing and oil pollution. Penguins also compete for food and breeding sites with fur seals, whose numbers have increased manifold in recent decades. To top it off, fur seals also hunt penguins. Feral cats are also becoming a problem in some colonies. The eggs and chicks of spectacled penguins are eaten by kelp gulls and sacred ibises; on mainland penguin colonies, mongooses, genets and leopards eat them.

Previously, the spectacled penguin was widespread along the entire coast of South Africa. Today, only 27 colonial settlements remain. Over the past 100 years, the number of penguins has decreased by more than 10 times; today it is estimated at approximately 224 thousand birds. This is very sad data! After all, this is almost five times less than what was needed per island at the beginning of the century! One of the reasons for such a catastrophic decline in numbers is the collection of eggs, which in the first half of the 20th century. purchased industrial scale. Only thanks to the official ban on such actions, spectacled penguins did not completely disappear from the African continent and from the face of the Earth.

The collection of guano, bird droppings, which is valuable, also played a significant role in the decline in numbers. organic fertilizer, used by man. For spectacled penguins, guano - building material for nests. But that's not all! In recent decades, the problem of coastal pollution with petroleum products has come to the fore. Overfishing has not only undermined the penguins' food supply, but has also led to increased competition for food from fur seals. Today, during the nesting period, the greatest danger to the species comes from feral cats that destroy nests. That's how many dangers interfere with the normal life of spectacled penguins.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

On the Dark Continent, the spectacled penguin is the only representative of its family. Thanks to the cold Bengal Current and the corresponding microclimate, he was able to populate the islands and coasts and. Here the penguins lead sedentary image life, therefore only rare single birds can be observed far beyond the nesting sites, right up to the coast and.

HOW TO FIND OUT

The spectacled penguin is the largest representative of the genus. However, relative to other penguins, such as emperor penguins, they can be called babies. Average weight their weight ranges from 3-5 kg, and their height is 60-70 cm. Like all penguins, they have a dark dorsal and white ventral part of the body. The edges of the latter are bordered by a black horseshoe-shaped stripe, which ends at the base of the neck. On both sides of the head around the eyes there are two oblong spots - the so-called glasses. This feature was the reason for the name of the species.

Male spectacled penguins are slightly larger than females and have a thicker beak. The differences are only visible when both birds are close together. The fused tarsus bones allow these penguins to hold their bodies upright, which is common to all penguins. True, the gait turns out to be quite funny and awkward. The flattened bones of the forelimbs, which turn into flippers, allow penguins to swim and dive well, so they feel much more confident in the water than on land! Yes, penguins cannot fly, but, unlike other flightless birds such as ostriches and kiwis, they have a sternum called a keel. Strongly developed (even more developed than those of flying birds) are attached to it. pectoral muscles, which provide acceleration when swimming underwater.

LIFESTYLE AND BIOLOGY

Spectacled penguins - excellent swimmers, in pursuit of prey they can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h. The basis of their food is anchovies, sardines, small crustaceans and mollusks, collecting which they can swim up to 100 km.

They nest colonially, are monogamous, forming pairs for several years. As a rule, the female lays two eggs, which are incubated alternately by both partners. The hatched chicks do not have their own thermoregulation system, so for several weeks they are completely dependent on the body heat of their parents. A month later, the grown and strong babies move to “nurseries”, or “kindergartens” - a group of up to 30 chicks, which is looked after by several adults, while the rest of the parents hunt. At the age of 60-130 days, young birds leave the colony and begin their two-year journey across the ocean, at the end of which they return to their native islands.

Molting lasts about 20 days. At this time, new plumage begins to grow directly under the old one, which peels off like pieces of old fabric. Birds are found on land in secluded places. After molting, for several weeks, the birds feed intensively to restore their fat reserves.

The spectacled penguin is often called " donkey penguin" It received this name for the characteristic sound made during the period of feeding chicks and surprisingly similar to the hiccups of a donkey.

The meaning of the word demersus - the scientific name of the species - is translated from Latin as “diving”, and for good reason: in search of prey, penguins can dive to depths of up to 130 m.

BRIEF CHARACTERISTICS

Kingdom: Animalia.
Phylum: Chordata.
Class: Birds (Aves).
Order: Penguins (Sphenisciformes).
Family: Penguins (Spheniscidae).
Genus: Spectacled penguins (Spheniscus).
Species: Spectacled penguin (Spheniscus demersus).

South African penguin(aka donkey, black-footed) - the largest of the spectacled penguins. Lives on the coast of South Africa. Listed in the Red Book.

Apparently this fact became decisive when, instead of resting after long journey or, like most of the population of our planet, preparing for the New Year, we hurried to the beach where these same penguins live.

Unfortunately, you can’t just come to the penguins to enjoy your life. Visiting penguins has long been a strictly regulated (well, almost) tourist attraction, as, for example, in Chile.

There are two options to look at the penguins: come to Boulders Beach, buy a ticket and walk along the boardwalks and watch the penguins walking importantly in the distance. Not very interesting, but there are a lot of penguins, yes.

The second option is to go a little further, again, buy a ticket and end up on the beach where the penguins walk. If the circumstances are successful, you can get as close to them as possible (be careful, they are angry and bite), swim with them and even touch them (in fact, you can’t touch them, but if you really want to...)

We went to the penguins twice, so we tried all the communication options.

The first time we went was in the afternoon. It was high tide at this time. This, by the way, is an important detail, as it turned out.

The penguins, as promised, walked along the beach.

We sat on the rocks and did other penguin things.

In principle, there were not many people. There were literally less than 10 hours left until the New Year and everyone was apparently busy cutting salads.

So we could stop at the very beginning of the beach. But this is not our method. We went to the very end, where no one reaches except numerous penguins.

Climbing over rocks, waist-deep in water. No wonder no one gets there.

And only penguins walk around as full owners of the beach.

At first we walked waist-deep, then in one place we had to wade through water almost up to our chins, trying not to drown our camera and things.
But it was worth it.
We found ourselves in a real penguin kingdom, not overshadowed by the presence of people.

And the penguins let us get close to them, not considering us enemy spies.

How close?
Well, something like this.

They sat on rocks, stood on rocks, swam in cozy coves.

Boulders Beach itself is a very beautiful place. It's not bad there even without penguins.

But the bonus of penguins is even better. Moreover, unlike their Chilean colleagues, they looked somehow livelier and more cheerful.
The Chilean penguins from Magdalena Island made a completely depressing impression on me with their appearance - indifference and detachment. And these are so lively.

Despite the fact that they all look the same, as if they were made as a carbon copy, each penguin is individual. Each has its own unique pattern of black spots on its belly.

We were on the very border of the zone allowed for visiting. A little further there was a prohibitory sign and you could see the same beach with penguins, which can only be viewed from the bridge.

Just a couple of days later we went there to look at the penguins from the outside. And there are much more penguins there.

But they are too far from people.

Therefore, those who did not communicate with the penguins went to the beach again.
It was in the morning at low tide.
What a disappointment it was to see that the beautiful coves where we and the penguins swam, where we waded up to our chests, turned into pieces of beach on which there were more people than penguins.

This is what our favorite bay looked like at the farthest point. It is easy to see where the water line is at high tide.

However, there were also a lot of penguins. Even though they didn't swim. But they willingly posed.

For some reason, looking at these penguins, many asked: are these old already?
No, on the contrary. These are the newest ones. Little penguins are covered with brown down. Over time, the fluff disappears and penguins acquire black color.

And with the New Year, we have a bad luck. While we were chasing penguins, New Year was approaching inexorably.
It turned out that all the restaurants had been booked for a long time and the shops were closed.

And then the idea came to go to Cape Town to the embankment.
I don't know how good it was...

Firstly, on the approaches to the embankment, we got stuck in such a traffic jam that the prospect of celebrating the New Year in the car was very close.
Secondly, the idea that there were a lot of restaurants on the embankment and we would grab a glass of something was dashed by reality - there were hundreds of smart people like us and we had to stand in line in the hope of buying something to celebrate the New Year until about the morning .
And most importantly, there were thousands of people there.

Slowly, penguin-like, we moved in the crowd of people, so that five minutes before the New Year we took seats to watch the fireworks.
At exactly midnight, everyone shouted “Hurray!”, and we clinked glasses of tangerine (we had some with us), and the night sky was decorated with fireworks.

The spectacled penguin belongs to the penguin family and is included in the spectacled penguin genus. Forms a species that is also called the donkey, black-footed and African penguin. Its habitat covers the southwestern coast of Africa and 24 islands near the coast. In addition, representatives of the species live in zoos around the world, and young individuals are often found outside their natural range.

Representatives of the species reach 60-70 cm in length. Body weight is 2.5-4.5 kg. Penguins are white in front and black in back. The limbs are black. There are black stripes and spots on the chest that are unique to each individual, like fingerprints human fingers. Above the eyes there are pink glands used for thermoregulation. The higher the body temperature, the more blood is sent to the glands and cooled by the surrounding air.

Sexual dimorphism is expressed in size - males are larger than females and have larger beaks. Black and white coloring protects birds in the water from predators, as it creates countershadows. Juveniles differ in color from adults. It varies from gray-blue to brown.

Reproduction and lifespan

This species is monogamous. Spectacled penguins nest in colonies. The breeding season is extended. Its peak occurs in March-May in South Africa and in November-December in Namibia. There are 2 eggs in the clutch. They are deposited in burrows, in depressions in the soil, under boulders or in bushes. Both parents do the incubation. Incubation period lasts 40 days.

Hatched chicks are covered with brown-gray down. For a month they stay near their parents, and then unite in the so-called nurseries. Chicks fledge at the age of 60-130 days. It all depends on environment and nutrition. After this, the young birds go to sea. IN wildlife The spectacled penguin lives 10-15 years. The maximum life expectancy is 25-27 years. Puberty occurs at the age of 4-5 years.

Behavior and nutrition

Representatives of the species cannot fly. They make cries reminiscent of donkeys. During molting, they cannot forage in water, as the feathers become permeable to water. Molting takes 3 weeks. They spend most of their lives at sea. Only during the breeding season do they settle on land. They can swim in water at a speed of 20 km/h. They dive to a depth of 100-120 meters. Can swim in sea ​​water 120 km.

IN marine environment Sharks, seals and killer whales are dangerous. Ground enemies are mongooses, caracals, and domestic cats. Seagulls can steal eggs. The spectacled penguin feeds on small fish, squid, and crustaceans. Food is obtained no further than 20 km from the coast. An adult consumes 540 grams of food per day. During the breeding season, up to 1 kg of food.

Number

IN early XIX centuries, 4 million spectacled penguins lived on the planet. By 2000, there were 200 thousand of them. In 2010, the population size was 55 thousand adult individuals. In 2013 this type received endangered status. It is assumed that if protective measures are not taken, the spectacled penguin will disappear within 15 years.

Genus: Spectacled penguins View: Spectacled penguin Latin name Spheniscus demersus
(Linnaeus, ) Area

Spreading The cries of penguins resemble those of donkeys. A penguin lives 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth at 4-5 years. The clutch consists of two eggs, which are incubated by both parents in turn for about 40 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tint. The breeding season is not clearly defined and varies depending on the location. Causes of disappearance and protection Gallery Spectacled Penguin I.jpg Spectacled penguin at the Moscow Zoo Spectacled Penguin II.jpg Spectacled Penguin III.jpg Write a review about the article "Glasses Penguin" Notes Literature Beycek V., Stastny K. Birds. Illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Labyrinth-press, 2004. - 288 p. Koblik E. A. Variety of birds. Part 1. - M.: Moscow University Publishing House, 2001. Animal life. In 7 volumes. T. 6. Birds. - M.: Education, 1986. - 527 p. Links in the International Red Book , - spectacled penguin in the Krasnoyarsk Zoo

An excerpt characterizing the Spectacled Penguin

I just nodded, enchanted by the beauty of her voice, not wanting to interrupt the story, which was like a quiet, dreamy melody...
– Already at the age of ten I could do a lot... I could fly, walk in the air, treat people suffering from the most serious illnesses, see what was coming. My mother taught me everything she knew...
- How to fly?! IN physical body fly?!. How's the bird? – Stella blurted out, unable to bear it.
I was very sorry that she interrupted this magically flowing narrative!.. But kind, emotional Stella apparently was not able to calmly withstand such stunning news...
Isidora just smiled brightly at her... and we saw another, but even more stunning, picture...
In a marvelous marble hall, a fragile black-haired girl was spinning... With the ease of a fairy fairy, she danced some kind of bizarre dance that only she understood, at times suddenly jumping a little and... hovering in the air. And then, having made an intricate feast and smoothly flown several steps, she came back again, and everything began from the beginning... It was so amazing and so beautiful that Stella and I took our breath away!..
And Isidora just smiled sweetly and calmly continued her interrupted story.
– My mother was a hereditary Sage. She was born in Florence - a proud, free city... in which there was only as much of its famous “freedom” as the Medici, although fabulously rich, but (unfortunately!) not omnipotent, hated by the church, could protect it. And my poor mother, like her predecessors, had to hide her Gift, since she came from a very rich and very influential family, in which it was more than undesirable to “shine” with such knowledge. Therefore, she, just like her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, had to hide her amazing “talents” from prying eyes and ears (and more often than not, even from friends!), otherwise, if the fathers of her future grooms had found out about this, she would have remained unmarried forever, which in her family would have been considered the greatest disgrace. Mom was very strong, a truly gifted healer. And while still very young, she secretly treated almost the entire city for ailments, including the great Medici, who preferred her to their famous Greek doctors. However, very soon the “glory” about my mother’s “stormy successes” reached the ears of her father, my grandfather, who, of course, did not have a very positive attitude towards this kind of “underground” activity. And they tried to get my poor mother married as soon as possible, in order to wash away the “brewing shame” of her entire frightened family...
Whether it was an accident, or someone somehow helped, but my mother was very lucky - she was married to a wonderful man, a Venetian magnate, who... himself was a very strong sorcerer... and whom you see with us now.. .
With shining, moist eyes, Isidora looked at her amazing father, and it was clear how much and selflessly she loved him. She was a proud daughter, with dignity carrying her pure, bright feeling through the centuries, and even there, far away, in her new worlds, she did not hide or be ashamed of it. And only then did I realize how much I wanted to become like her!.. And in her power of love, and in her power as a Sage, and in everything else that this extraordinary bright woman carried within herself...
And she calmly continued to talk, as if not noticing either our “overflowing” emotions or the “puppy” delight of our souls that accompanied her wonderful story.
– That’s when my mother heard about Venice... My father spent hours telling her about the freedom and beauty of this city, about its palaces and canals, about secret gardens and huge libraries, about bridges and gondolas, and much, much more. And my impressionable mother, without even seeing this wonderful city, fell in love with it with all her heart... She couldn’t wait to see this city with her own eyes! And very soon her dream came true... Her father brought her to a magnificent palace, full of faithful and silent servants, from whom there was no need to hide. And, starting from that day, mom could spend hours doing her favorite thing, without fear of being misunderstood or, even worse, insulted. Her life became pleasant and secure. They were a truly happy married couple, who gave birth to a girl exactly one year later. They called her Isidora... It was me.