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Project Noah Nature School
Spheniscus demersus
Also known as the black-footed or jackass penguin, this bird was declared endangered by IUCN in 2010. They have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the pattern of spots being unique for every penguin, like human fingerprints. They have pink glands above their eyes, which are used for thermoregulation. The hotter the penguin gets, the more blood is sent to these glands so it may be cooled by the surrounding air, thus making the glands pinker. Although the parent penguins are protective of their hatchlings, they will not sacrifice their appetite for their children. If even in a situation where food is scarce, adult parents will let their children starve before they let themselves starve.
Beach frequented by tourists; touching the penguins is prohibited. You can view them from a boardwalk
Spotted on Sep 22, 2007
Submitted on Mar 31, 2013
5 Comments
Great photos and nice info! I've never seen one of these even though I'm from SA. I think I need to do something about this. Thanks for sharing!
so cute
Wow very cool great series Maria :)
Oh so cute!! Great series, Maria!
What a beautiful series, Maria! Sad to hear they are an endangered species. I cannot believe that the parents would rather starve their children than starve themselves. Usually it is the other way around, as the individual tries to further its species as a whole.