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African Penguin

File:Wikimania_2018,_Cape_Town_(_1050602),_crop.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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African Penguin

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Also known as Spheniscus demersus, Cape penguin, South African penguin, black-footed penguin, jackass penguin

species of bird

OverviewAI-generated

The African penguin, scientifically named *Spheniscus demersus*, is a species within the family Spheniscidae and order Sphenisciformes. It belongs to the class Aves and phylum Chordata. The species is classified under the parent taxon *Spheniscus* and is recognized as a penguin. Its taxonomic authority is listed as (Linnaeus, 1758), and its status is accepted.

This marine organism has a taxon range in Africa. It is currently designated as Critically Endangered according to the 2024 IUCN Red List. Biological records indicate an egg incubation period of 38 days and a litter size of 2. The species has a mass of 103.

Synthesized by Vinony from 26 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Critically Endangered

African penguin

Species

  1. PhylumChordata
  2. ClassAves
  3. OrderSphenisciformes
  4. 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

Instance of
taxon
Subclass of
penguin
Parent taxon
Spheniscus
Mass
103
Image
Pingüino de El Cabo (Spheniscus demersus), Playa de Boulders, Simon's Town, Sudáfrica, 2018-07-23, DD 11.jpg
Show 10 more facts
taxon rank
species
IUCN conservation status
Critically Endangered
taxon name
Spheniscus demersus
Commons category
Spheniscus demersus
Commons gallery
Spheniscus demersus
taxon common name
pinguin african
egg incubation period
38
litter size
2
short name
S. demersus
taxon range
Africa
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~25 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “African Penguin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (13)

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