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- Spheniscus
Galapagos penguin
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What is a Galapagos penguin?
The Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is a penguin species notable for its distinctive narrow, C-shaped band of white feathers extending from the eye to the chin, along with a single band of black feathers across the white feathers on its breast. As the most northerly of all penguin species, they inhabit the western part of the Galapagos Islands, with occasional ventures to other islands in the archipelago.
These penguins feed on small fish and possibly crustaceans, often hunting in groups to capture prey from the side or below. They face threats from predators such as sharks and Galapagos fur seals in the water, as well as Galapagos hawks and introduced predators like dogs, cats, and rats on land. They nest close to the shoreline, with breeding pairs generally remaining monogamous for life and capable of producing multiple clutches of eggs per year. The Galapagos penguin is listed as endangered.
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Where does the Galapagos penguin live?
The Galapagos penguin is unique as the most northerly of all penguin species and the only one living at the Equator. They inhabit the western part of the Galapagos Islands, but some may venture to other islands in the archipelago.
More than 95% of Galapagos penguins breed on the islands of Isabela, Fernandina, and Santa Cruz, at the western end of the Galapagos archipelago. Smaller colonies exist on Bartolomé, Santiago, Logie, and Floreana. They build nests with rocks and twigs or in lava rock depressions within about 165 feet (50 meters) of the shoreline.
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How does the Galapagos penguin survive in a warm climate?
The Galapagos penguin, uniquely adapted to a warm climate, lives near the Equator. To keep cool, they swim in the cold currents of the ocean, generally hunting in groups for small fish and crustaceans. Like other penguins, their bodies have short, stiff feathers that trap a layer of air close to the skin, providing insulation. They also have a system of thermal conduction in their feet that helps conserve heat.
Galapagos penguins are monogamous. They nest close to the shoreline, with both parents sharing incubation duties. The biggest threat to the Galapagos penguin is food shortages caused by El Niño, which can disrupt the cold water upwellings that bring nutrients.
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What does the Galapagos penguin eat?
The Galapagos penguin's diet consists of small fish, such as pilchards and mullet, and possibly crustaceans. These penguins often hunt together, pursuing their prey in the water and capturing them from the side or from below. Disruptions in food availability caused by strong El Niño episodes can affect the Galapagos penguin population. During El Niño years, warmer surface waters hold fewer nutrients, leading to low plankton populations and declining fish stocks.
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How do Galapagos penguins care for their young?
Galapagos penguins usually mate for life, with breeding pairs capable of producing as many as three clutches of eggs each year. The eggs are laid within four days of each other, and both parents share incubation duties for 38–42 days. After hatching, the parents alternate daily feeding and guarding of the chicks until they reach 30 days old. The chicks stay in the nest from 30 to 60 days old, receiving periodic feedings from their parents. Unlike other penguin species, Galapagos penguin chicks do not form groups. The fledging period lasts until the chicks are 60–65 days old, and they become fully independent at 3–6 months. Both parents take an active role in raising their young, ensuring their offspring have the best chance of survival.
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What threats do Galapagos penguins face in the wild?
Galapagos penguins face several threats in the wild, including food shortages caused by El Niño episodes, which reduce plankton and fish populations. Introduced predators, such as feral cats, kill adult penguins annually on Isabela and Fernandina Islands. They are also hunted by sharks and Galapagos fur seals in the water. On land, all age classes are vulnerable to native Galapagos hawks and introduced predators like dogs, cats, and rats. Some ecologists also fear that avian malaria, carried by mosquitoes, could devastate the remaining Galapagos penguin population. For these reasons, the Galapagos penguins have been listed as endangered since 2000.
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Galapagos penguin, (Spheniscus mendiculus), species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) characterized by the presence of a narrow C-shaped band of white feathers that extends from the eye to the chin on each side of the head and a single band of black feathers that cuts across the large region of white feathers on the breast. Galapagos penguins, the most northerly of all penguin species, inhabit the western part of the Galapagos Islands; however, some individuals may occasionally venture to other islands in the archipelago. Compared with other penguin species, the population is small, numbering no more than a few thousand individuals.
Physical features
Galapagos penguins are among the smallest of all penguin species. They average about 53 cm (about 21 inches) in length and weigh from 1.7 to 2.6 kg (about 4–6 pounds), males being slightly larger than females. As in other members of the genus Spheniscus, plumage covering the chin and back is black, and most of the breast plumage is white. However, the C-shaped strips of white feathers on the sides of the head are much thinner than those present on African (S. demersus), Humboldt (S. humboldti), and Magellanic (S. magellanicus) penguins. Juveniles, in contrast, have a gray head and back and white underside. They also possess white patches of feathers on their cheeks. The chicks are covered in a fluff of light gray downy feathers.
Predators and prey
Galapagos penguins subsist on small fish, such as pilchards (sardines) and mullet, and possibly crustaceans. Galapagos penguins often hunt in groups; they pursue their prey in the water and capture them from the side or from below. Adults and juveniles are food for sharks and Galapagos fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) in the water. On land all age classes are vulnerable to the native Galapagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) and to introduced predators—such as dogs, cats, rats, and other birds of prey.
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Nesting and breeding
More than 95 percent of all breeding takes place on the islands of Isabela, Fernandina, and Santa Cruz on the western end of the Galapagos archipelago. There are also small colonies on Bartolomé, Santiago, Logie, and Floreana. Young are produced throughout the year, and nests are built with rocks and twigs or within lava rock depressions within about 50 metres (about 165 feet) of the shoreline. Most breeding pairs are monogamous for life, and prolific pairs can produce up to three clutches of eggs per year, with females often laying two eggs per clutch.
The eggs are deposited in the nest within four days of one another, and incubation is shared equally between the parents. The incubation period lasts 38–42 days, after which both parents provide for their chicks by alternating feeding and guarding duties on a daily basis until the chicks are 30 days old. The chicks continue to remain in the nest when they are between 30 and 60 days of age, sustained by periodic feedings by their parents. Unlike most other penguin species, Galapagos penguin chicks do not join “crèches” (groups). The fledging period continues until the chicks are 60–65 days old, and they become completely independent at age 3–6 months. Galapagos penguins can live as long as 15–20 years, but most succumb to predation or to food shortages caused by the periodic, but dramatic, changes in nearby ocean currents.
Conservation status
Galapagos penguins are extremely susceptible to disruptions in food availability caused by strong El Niño episodes. During normal years or during La Niña years, the upwelling of the cold, northward-flowing Peru Current brings nutrients to the surface waters. During years dominated by El Niño, however, the warmer surface waters hold fewer nutrients, because upwelling is dampened. Under these conditions, plankton populations are low and fish stocks decline. The strong El Niño episodes of 1982–83 and 1997–98 correlated with sudden crashes in the Galapagos penguin population. Although the population recovered from those events, the pace of recovery was often slow because female mortality tends to be higher than male mortality in such years. In addition, feral cats, introduced from the mainland, kill many adult Galapagos penguins on Isabela and Fernandina annually. Some ecologists fear that avian malaria carried by the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus could devastate the remaining Galapagos penguin population, because most other penguin species are susceptible to the disease. Galapagos penguins have been listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species since 2000.