The spectacled penguin belongs to the penguin family and is included in the genus spectacled penguins. Forms a species that is also called donkey, black-footed and African penguin. The habitat covers the southwestern coast of Africa and 24 islands off the coast. In addition, representatives of the species live in zoos around the world, and juveniles are often found outside their natural range.
In length, representatives of the species reach 60-70 cm. Body weight is 2.5-4.5 kg. Penguins are white in front and black in back. The limbs are black. On the chest there are black stripes and spots that are unique to each individual, like human fingerprints. Above the eyes 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 their beaks are larger. Black and white coloring protects birds in the water from predators, as it creates countershades. 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 is 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 shrubs. Both parents are engaged in incubation. The incubation period lasts 40 days.
Hatching chicks are covered with brown-gray fluff. Within a month they are near their parents, and then unite in the so-called nursery. Chicks fledge at the age of 60-130 days. It all depends on the environment and nutrition. After that, young birds go to sea. In the wild, the spectacled penguin lives 10-15 years. The maximum life expectancy is 25-27 years. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 4-5 years.
Behavior and nutrition
Representatives of the species are not able to fly. They make cries resembling those of donkeys. During molting, they cannot forage in the water, as the feathers become permeable to water. Shedding takes 3 weeks. Most of their lives are spent at sea. Only during the breeding season they settle on land. In water they can swim at a speed of 20 km / h. They dive to a depth of 100-120 meters. They can swim 120 km in sea water.
In the marine environment, sharks, seals and killer whales are dangerous. Ground enemies are mongooses, caracals, domestic cats. Seagulls can steal eggs. The spectacled penguin feeds on small fish, squid, crustaceans. Food extraction is carried out 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.
population
At the beginning of the 19th century, 4 million spectacled penguins lived on the planet. By 2000, there were 200,000 of them. In 2010, the population was 55,000 adults. In 2013, this species received the status of endangered. It is assumed that if protective measures are not taken, then the spectacled penguin will disappear in 15 years.
Class - Birds / Subclass - Neopalatine / Superorder - Penguin-like
History of study
Spectacled penguin, or donkey penguin, or black-footed penguin (lat. Spheniscus demersus) is a bird species from the spectacled penguin genus.
Spreading
Distribution area - 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. At the same time, in the 1900s, the population was estimated at no less than 2 million individuals.
Appearance
Spectacled penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is comparable in size to 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 beak, but the differences are clearly visible when the birds stand side by side. Spectacled penguins are black above and white below. On the chest they have a narrow black horseshoe-shaped stripe that goes down the sides of the body to the paws. In some birds, this stripe is double, like that of the Magellanic penguin. In addition, a white stripe goes around the back of the sides 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: the peak of breeding in Namibia is in November-December, while in South Africa it is in March-May. Spectacled penguins are monogamous and the same pair will usually return to the same colony and nest. 80-90% of pairs stay together for the next breeding season. There are cases when 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 the change of partners depends on the feeding conditions and averages 2.5 days. Both parents take care of the chicks, and for the first 15 days, until they have established thermoregulation, one of them constantly warms the chicks. Further, until the age of one month, while the chicks are still small and one of the parents protects them from the attack of seagulls. After that, both parents can go to sea to feed the chicks. During this time, the chicks form "nurseries" that 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 native colony, where they molt into adult plumage.
Lifestyle
Penguins in the 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.). some colonies).
The cries of penguins resemble those of donkeys. The penguin lives for 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth to offspring 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 tinge. The breeding season is not clearly defined, it varies depending on the place.
Nutrition
Spectacled penguins feed mainly on pelagic schooling fish species such as anchovies, sardines, as well as molluscs and crustaceans.
population
The species is listed in the International Red Book. There are currently 27 spectacled penguin colonies, of which only three are on the mainland coast. And in 10 more places the birds no longer nest, although they nested there earlier. At present, the world population is about 70,000 pairs, but this is only 10% of what it was in 1900, when only on one island. Dassen nested about 1.5 million birds. By 1956 the number of penguins halved, and then the next two-fold reduction in numbers occurred by the end of the 1970s, when about 220 thousand adult birds were counted. By the end of the 1980s. the number fell to 194 thousand individuals, and in the early 1990s. it was 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 spectacled penguins are well known. At first it 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 threat comes from commercial fishing and oil pollution. Penguins also compete for food and breeding grounds with fur seals, whose numbers have increased manifold in recent decades. To top it off, fur seals also prey on penguins. Feral cats on some colonies are also becoming a problem. Eggs and chicks of spectacled penguins are eaten by kelp gulls and sacred ibises; on mainland penguin colonies, mongooses, genets and leopards eat them.
The spectacled penguin is the only penguin species native to Africa. Many people think that penguins live only in the coastal waters of Antarctica. However, this is not so: they can be found in the waters of Australia, South America and even the hottest mainland of the planet.
Spectacled, or donkey, penguins nest on the southwestern coast of Africa, which is washed by the cold waters of the Bengal Current. Nesting takes place every winter when temperatures on the mainland are not as high as in summer. Nevertheless, birds still have to protect the eggs they lay from overheating. To do this, they dig a small hole in guano (the decomposed remains of bird and bat droppings) on the coast, where they lay their eggs. After about 40 days, chicks hatch from them and soon find themselves in the "crèche".
Until it's time to lay their eggs, penguins spend most of their time at sea. There they prey on sardines and marine invertebrates, eating up to 540 grams of prey per day. Today, however, industrial fishing forces these birds to switch from sardines to less nutritious food for them, such as anchovies.
However, this is not the only reason that spectacled penguins are now considered endangered species. Oil spills in the sea cause no less harm to them. For example, a major disaster that occurred in the waters of South Africa in 2000 is well known. Then, during the sinking of the Treasure vessel, approximately 1,300 tons of oil products turned out to be in the water, soiling about 40,000 spectacled penguins.
Special organs on the head help the spectacled penguins maintain the required temperature (pink marks just above his eyes). The higher the body temperature of the bird, the more blood is sent to them. And thanks to the thin skin of the organs, the blood in them is quickly cooled by the surrounding air.
(also known as donkey penguin, or black-footed penguin, or African penguin(lat. Spheniscus demersus)) - a species of penguins from the genus spectacled penguins. Like any of the penguins, the spectacled penguin cannot fly.
Appearance
Spreading
The cries of penguins are reminiscent of donkeys. The penguin lives for 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth to offspring 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 tinge. The breeding season is not clearly defined, it varies depending on the place.
Reasons for disappearance and protection
Gallery
Spectacled Penguin I.jpg
Spectacled penguin at the Moscow Zoo
Spectacled Penguin II.jpg
Spectacled Penguin III.jpg
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Notes
Literature
- Beychek V., Stasny K. Birds. Illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Labyrinth-press, 2004. - 288 p.
- Koblik E. A. Variety of birds. Part 1. - M.: Moscow University Publishing House, 2001.
- Life of animals. In 7 volumes. T. 6. Birds. - M.: Enlightenment, 1986. - 527 p.
Links
- in the International Red Book
- , - spectacled penguin in the Krasnoyarsk Zoo
An excerpt characterizing the Spectacled Penguin
Consequently, it was only necessary for Metternich, Rumyantsev or Talleyrand, between the exit and the reception, to try hard and write a more ingenious piece of paper or write to Alexander to Napoleon: Monsieur mon frere, je consens a rendre le duche au duc d "Oldenbourg, [My lord brother, I agree return the duchy to the Duke of Oldenburg.] - and there would be no war.It is clear that such was the case for contemporaries. It is clear that it seemed to Napoleon that the intrigues of England were the cause of the war (as he said this on the island of St. Helena); it is understandable that it seemed to the members of the English Chamber that Napoleon's lust for power was the cause of the war; that it seemed to the Prince of Oldenburg that the cause of the war was the violence committed against him; that it seemed to the merchants that the cause of the war was the continental system, which was ruining Europe, that it seemed to the old soldiers and generals that the main reason was the need to put them to work; to the legitimists of the time that it was necessary to restore les bons principes [good principles], and to the diplomats of the time that everything happened because the alliance of Russia with Austria in 1809 was not cleverly hidden from Napoleon and that a memorandum was awkwardly written for No. 178. It is clear that these and countless, infinite number of reasons, the number of which depends on the countless difference of points of view, seemed to contemporaries; but for us, the descendants, who contemplate in all its volume the enormity of the event that has taken place and delve into its simple and terrible meaning, these reasons seem insufficient. It is incomprehensible to us that millions of Christians killed and tortured each other, because Napoleon was power-hungry, Alexander was firm, the policy of England was cunning and the Duke of Oldenburg was offended. It is impossible to understand what connection these circumstances have with the very fact of murder and violence; why, due to the fact that the duke was offended, thousands of people from the other side of Europe killed and ruined the people of Smolensk and Moscow provinces and were killed by them.
For us descendants, who are not historians, who are not carried away by the process of research and therefore contemplate the event with unobscured common sense, its causes appear in innumerable numbers. The more we delve into the search for causes, the more they are revealed to us, and every single reason or a whole series of reasons seems to us equally just in itself, and equally false in its insignificance in comparison with the enormity of the event, and equally false in its invalidity ( without the participation of all other coincident causes) to produce an accomplished event. The same reason as Napoleon's refusal to withdraw his troops beyond the Vistula and give back the Duchy of Oldenburg seems to us the desire or unwillingness of the first French corporal to enter the secondary service: for if he did not want to go to the service and would not want another, and the third , and a thousandth corporal and soldier, so much less people would be in Napoleon's army, and there could be no war.
If Napoleon had not been offended by the demand to retreat beyond the Vistula and had not ordered the troops to advance, there would have been no war; but if all the sergeants did not wish to enter the secondary service, there could also be no war. There could also be no war if there were no intrigues of England, and there would be no Prince of Oldenburg and a feeling of insult in Alexander, and there would be no autocratic power in Russia, and there would be no French revolution and the subsequent dictatorship and empire, and all that that produced the French Revolution, and so on. Without one of these reasons, nothing could have happened. Therefore, all these causes - billions of reasons - coincided in order to produce what was. And therefore, nothing was the exclusive cause of the event, and the event had to happen only because it had to happen. Millions of people, having renounced their human feelings and their minds, had to go to the East from the West and kill their own kind, just as several centuries ago crowds of people went from East to West, killing their own kind.
The most severe continent of the planet - Antarctica. These flightless birds are adapted to living in cold climates. However, there are certain species in the world that live far beyond the South Pole. These include the African penguin from the genus of spectacles. Like other representatives of this species, the bird is flightless.
Description
The African penguin is one of the largest representatives of its kind. In Latin it is known as Spheniscus demersus. It is also often called donkey, black-footed and spectacled penguin.
The birds are very large. Their height can reach 70 cm, while the body weight is in the range of 3-5 kg. Appearance is practically no different from the closest relatives: the back is painted black, and the breast is white. A distinctive feature of spectacled penguins is a peculiar pattern in the form of a horseshoe. A narrow black stripe runs along the upper chest of the bird and down the sides of the body to the legs. According to scientists, there are no completely identical drawings, they are as unique as human fingerprints.
In appearance, males and females are difficult to distinguish, since their coloration is very similar. However, adults of different sexes can be determined by size. Males are slightly larger than their partners.
The bird's beak is pointed. It is painted black and has white markings. Another distinguishing feature of African penguins is the presence of pink glands that are located above the eyes. These organs help the bird not to overheat in such hot climates. In hot weather, blood flow to the glands increases, due to which they become a brighter shade, and the surrounding air cools them.
The legs of the penguin are painted black.
Habitat
Many nature lovers will be interested to know where the spectacled penguin lives. These birds are common in the coastal zones of southwestern Africa, they also settled on 24 islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, between Algoa Bay and the state of Namibia. There are 27 penguin colonies in these regions. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bird population was very large - there were at least 2 million individuals. Today, things are very deplorable, penguins in Africa are on the verge of extinction. According to 2015 estimates, the number of birds ranges from 140 to 180 thousand individuals. To date, these penguins are under protection, they are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of South Africa.
Penguin Enemies
In wildlife, these birds have several main enemies. In the depths of the sea, fur seals and the main predators of the depths - sharks - pose a danger. But the enemies of African penguins live not only in the water. On land, many dangers await them, and most of all threats arise for the future generation of birds. Eggs and newborn chicks are preyed upon by sea gulls and ibis. Of particular danger are leopards, various types of snakes and mongooses.
But, despite so many enemies, it was people who caused the greatest harm to African penguins. They not only used the eggs of birds for food, but also destroyed their habitat.
Bird lifestyle
The main food of the penguin is seafood. Their diet consists mainly of herring fry, sardines and anchovies. The average life expectancy of birds is 10-12 years. The female displays the first offspring upon reaching 4-5 years. One clutch may contain 2 eggs. Not only the female, but also the male is engaged in incubation of the chicks. For 40 days, they alternately monitor the clutch.
The chicks that were born have a gray-brown fluff, which eventually acquires a bluish tint.
On the brink of death
This species of penguins was on the verge of extinction primarily because of humans. A sharp decline in the population occurred at the beginning of the last century. In the 1920s, only on the territory of Dassin Island, the bird population was about 1.5 million individuals. The decrease in the number of penguins was due to record collections of their eggs. For about 30 years (from 1900 to 1930), 450 thousand eggs were seized annually. But 1919 turned out to be the most record-breaking year. Up to 600 thousand eggs were collected.
In 1956, the number of penguins decreased sharply, there were no more than 145 thousand individuals, and already in 1978 their number decreased to 22.4 thousand. The birds were endangered, so they were listed not only in the Red Book of South Africa, but also in international. Today, the picture has improved somewhat, and the number of birds has slightly increased, but it is very far from the figures that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century.
Interesting facts about African penguins
- Penguins living on the coast of South Africa can be called homebodies. They do not lead a nomadic lifestyle, like some of their relatives, but prefer to stay in the places that they have chosen.
- The habitats of African penguins have been significantly reduced due to the fact that the coastline is densely populated by people.
- In 2000, an emergency occurred - a huge oily slick formed off the coast of South Africa due to an oil spill. Volunteer brigades were created to save the birds. People collected oil-stained birds and washed them.
- In 1978, this bird species was on the verge of extinction. The number of penguins has decreased to 22.4 thousand individuals.
- The cry of this bird is very similar to the sounds made by a donkey, so they are often called donkey penguins.
- Penguins are truly champions. They are able to dive to a depth of 100 meters, accelerate in water up to 20 km / h and even hold their breath for several minutes.
- One interesting case occurred in Tbilisi in 2015: an African penguin covered a distance of about 60 km, escaping from a zoo when a flood hit the region.
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