African Penguin

African Penguin
Character Data
Also known as: Cape, Cape Penguin, Jackass Penguin, Black-Footed Penguin Japanese Name: ケープペンギン Romanised Name: Kēpu Pengin First Featured in: Kemono Friends Pavilion
Animal Data
Scientific Name: Spheniscus demersus Distribution: Southwestern Africa Diet: Piscivore Average Lifespan in the Wild: 10-27 Years Read More: African penguin Conservation Status:

African Penguin​

Pavilion​

KF3​

KemoV​

Gallery

African Penguin is a type of Penguin Friend introduced in the Second Collaboration with Sunshine Aquarium. She has since appeared in other Kemono Friends media, and debuted as one of the first members of KemoV, the Kemono Friends virtual Youtuber group.

Appearance

African Penguin's back-length hair is primarily black, with white areas on the sides of her head and two locks that frame the sides of her face. There are two pink areas near the front of her scalp which resemble the glands that surround the real-life animal's eyes; a cleaner, streamlined version of this pattern is also present on her headphones. Her eyes are sienna-coloured.

She wears a black-and-white zipper sweater, zipped all the way up to the collar. Its front, and the inside faces of the sleeves, have patterns respectively resembling that of the African penguin's chest and wings. Like all the penguin friends, the sleeves end in mittens. The chest pattern continues down her thigh-high stockings, ending in black shin-height boots with pink laces. Lastly, she has a short, bushy tail similar to the other penguins.

In Real Life

An African penguin. The black and white patterns reflected in the Friend design are clearly visible.

The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is a species of penguin endemic to South African waters. Like other penguins, it is a flightless bird with a streamlined body and stiffened wings shaped like flippers, well suited for their marine habitat. These penguins are only found on the south-western coast of Africa, living in colonies on and around some 24 islands between Namibia and Algoa Bay, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Two initial colonies were established in the 1980's on the Cape Town mainland.

African Penguins are medium-sized birds, with the average height being around 60–70 cm (24–28 in) tall and the average weight ranging from 2.2–3.5 kg (4.9–7.7 lb). There is very slight sexual dimorphism, with the males being just a bit bigger than the females with longer beaks. The signature black-and-white coloring is a unique form of protective coloration called countershading: the white underbellies of the birds are difficult to spot by predators under the water and the black backs blend in with the water when viewed from above.

As pelagic feeders, African Penguins forage in the open sea. The primary diet consists of sardines (including the blue pilchard), Cape horse mackerels, red-eye round herrings, and anchovies. Invertebrates such as squids and crustaceans (primarily krill and shrimp) are also known food sources. A single penguin can easily consume up to 540 grams (1.19 lb) of prey every day. When foraging, they can carry out dives that reach an average depth of 25 m (82 ft.) and last for an average of 69 seconds.

Colonies and breeding pairs will return to the same spot every year for breeding. African Penguins are monogamous, staying with their mate until one passes. Breeding season varies slightly with location, usually peaking from March to May in South Africa and November to December in Namibia. Each clutch will have one or two eggs and are laid in a burrow. Chicks hatch after around 40 days, and both parents take turns incubating. After a few months, the chicks will fledge and spend up to two years at sea.

Primary predators are sharks and fur seals, but on land the predators range from common domestic cats and dogs to Cape Gulls and Mongooses.

African Penguins with chicks on Boulders Beach, South Africa. Photo by user D. Gordon E. Robertson.

Humans pose a massive threat to the African Penguin population, from using the eggs in recipes (popular in the 1950's), to oil spills, to overfishing and competing with big name fishing companies. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were over 4 million African Penguins. By 1910, there were roughly 1.5 million. Since pre-industrial times, the African Penguin population has declined by nearly 95%. In 2000, the total population fell to approximately 150,000–180,000. By 2010, a mere decade later, the total African penguin population was estimated at 55,000. At the current rate of decline seen in those 10 years, the African penguin is expected to be extinct in the wild by 2026.

Trivia

African penguins on Boulders Beach. Photo by user Kallerna.

• Other names include the Cape Penguin, South African Penguin, Black-footed Penguin, and Jackass Penguin (due to the braying-like sound they make, although several species of penguins make similar sounds).
• It was first described circa 1747 by English naturalist George Edwards.
• The African Penguin is the only penguin species that breeds in Africa, and as such the islands they call home have been dubbed "Penguin Islands".
• Boulders Beach is a tourist attraction due to the beach, swimming and, of course, the penguins. The penguins will allow people to approach them as close as a meter (3 ft.).
• Since African Penguins are found in warmer climates, they do very well in human care and zoos. This adaptability has lead to several successful breeding programs, bringing hope to an endangered species.

References

• Wikipedia Page
• Favaro, Livio; Ozella, Laura; Pessani, Daniela; Pavan, Gianni (30 July 2014). "The Vocal Repertoire of the African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus): Structure and Function of Calls". PLOS ONE. 9 (7): e103460.
• BirdLife International (2020). "Spheniscus demersus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
• Crawford, R. J. M.; Ryan, P. G.; Williams, A. J. (1991). "Seabird consumption and production in the Benguela and western Agulhas ecosystems". South African Journal of Marine Science. 11 (1): 357–375. doi:10.2989/025776191784287709.
• Whittington, P. A.; Hofmeyr, J. H.; Cooper, J. (1996). "Establishment, growth and conservation of a mainland colony of Jackass Penguins Spheniscus demersus at Stony Point, Betty's Bay, South Africa". Ostrich. 67 (3–4): 144–150. doi:10.1080/00306525.1996.9639700.
• Kilduff, Catherine (2010-09-28). "Vanishing African Penguin, Threatened by Climate Change and Fishing, Wins Protections". seaturtles.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03.
• "African Penguin; Endangered; Cape Town". Globalpost.com. 2011-06-19. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
• "Table Mountain National Park". SANParks. Retrieved 2012-03-30.