ケープペンギンは、南アフリカやナミビアの海岸線や島に生息する飛べない鳥である。背中、「翼」、足が黒く、顔の黒い「マスク」の周りは白い。また胴体も白く、胸の上部に黒いラインがある。目のまわりにピンク色の裸域があり、体温調節の役割を果たしている。胸にそれぞれ個体ごとに異なる黒い斑点模様がある。大きさは 60 ～ 68 cm で体重は 2.2 ～ 3.5 kgである。オスはメスより若干体が大きく、クチバシが長い。
Latin Name
Spheniscus demersus
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false
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african-penguin
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Animal Facts
African penguins cannot hunt while moulting as their feathers are not yet waterproof, so they fast until their plumage has fully grown in. Moulting takes 3 weeks and penguins lose 50% of their bodyweight in this time.
African penguins are preyed upon by sharks and fur seals in the ocean and kelp gulls, mongoose, cape genets and domestic cats and dogs on land.
The African penguin is also known as the Jackass penguin due to its donkey-like cry.
Penguin faeces, called guano, is an extremely effective fertilizer, but humans harvesting it disturbs the nest sites of African penguins and removes one of the main materials penguins use to build their nests.
African penguin eggs were seen as a delicacy up until the 1970s; this contributed to the species’ decline.
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