AI overview
The African penguin is a species of flightless seabird found along the coasts of southern Africa that feeds on fish and squid in the ocean. This penguin species is important because it serves as an indicator of ocean health and fish populations, making it valuable for understanding the marine ecosystems where it lives.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
Critically EndangeredAfrican penguin
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderSphenisciformes
- FamilySpheniscidae
Habitatmarine
Spheniscus demersus Le Manchot du Cap (Spheniscus demersus) est une espèce de manchot sud-africain. Sommaire 1 Répartition 2 Systématique 3 Conservation 4 Liens externes 5 Notes et références Répartition Cet oiseau vit le long des côtes suivantes : Afrique du Sud, Angola, Congo, Gabon, Mozambique, Namibie et République démocratique du Congo. Ces oiseaux vivent en colonies sur 24 îles entre la Namibie et la baie d'Algoa, près de Port Elizabeth, en Afrique du Sud. La plus importante colonie se trouve sur l'île de Dyer près de Kleinbaai. Sur l'île de Dassen, les nids de ces oiseaux abritent une faune d'Insectes Coléoptères en partie étudiée[1]. Il existe également deux colonies sur le continent, l'une à Boulders Beach, proche du Cap, l'autre à Stony Point près de Betty's Bay, entre Le Cap et Hermanus. Systématique Les plus proches parents de ces manchots africains sont les manchots de Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) et les manchots de Magellan (Spheniscus magellanicus) d'Amérique du Sud et celui des Galapagos (Spheniscus mendiculus). Conservation À la fin du XIXe siècle, il y avait 1,5 à 2 millions manchots du Cap[2], la population est tombée à 500 000 oiseaux en 2000, et ne compte pl
via IUCN
Wikidata facts
Article
The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. It is the only penguin found in the Old World. Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Adults weigh an average of 2.2–3.5 kg (4.9–7.7 lb) and are 60–70 cm (24–28 in) tall. The species has distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes and a black facial mask. The body's upper parts are black and sharply delineated from the white underparts, which are spotted and marked with a black band.
The African penguin is a pursuit diver and feeds primarily on fish and squid. Once extremely numerous, the African penguin is now the rarest species of penguin, classified as critically endangered, with its population declining rapidly due to a combination of several threats, such as habitat loss, overfishing and climate change. It is a charismatic species and is popular with tourists. Other vernacular names of the species include black-footed penguin and jackass penguin, due to the species' loud, donkey-like noise (although several related species of South American penguins produce the same sound). They can be found along the coast of South Africa and Namibia.