 | Magellanic Penguin
Spheniscus magellanicus
 Fascinating Facts - Penguin fossils date back to the Eocene period, 50 million years ago, and penguin ancestors were larger than the present day emperor penguin, which measures almost 4 feet. Aside from differences in size, penguins haven’t changed much in 50 million years.
- The Magellanic penguin’s common name comes from the Straits of Magellan, a series of waterways at the southern tip of South America, where this species of penguin can be found.
- The Magellanic penguin is one of 17 penguin species, all of which live in the southern hemisphere. Not all penguins live in the cold places, though; the climate in this species’ range is not that different from our climate here in northern California!
- Because of their excellent insulation, penguins are actually in greater danger of overheating than freezing.
- Life as a penguin can be tough: sea lions and giant petrels prey on adult and young penguins, while kelp gulls and great skuas often catch chicks before they are old enough to defend themselves.
Physical Characteristics Penguins are highly specialized flightless sea birds. Their black and white feathering is very dense, with more than 70 feathers per square inch, each coated with oil for waterproofing warmth. Their “tuxedo” helps the bird hide from predators when swimming in the ocean. The white belly blends in with the bright light coming from above, making the bird hard for seals to spot. From above, the dark back blends in with the dark ocean waves.
Young penguins first exchange their silvery down for an immature set of soft gray feathers without the distinctive striping of the adult. They molt into their “tuxedo” in their second year.
The bodies of penguins are torpedo shaped and streamlined for moving through the water at speeds up to 15 miles per hour (four times faster than the fastest human swimmer). Their small, flat wings work like paddles, driven by powerful flight muscles to propel the bird through the water.
Life span in the wild is 25 years, and up to 30 years in captivity. Habitat/Diet Penguins can be found on the rocky shores of the Southern hemisphere. Breeding areas for the Magellanic include the islands in the Pacific along the coast of southern Chile, south to Cape Horn, the Patagonian coast of Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. Penguins feed in the water. When nesting, they fast, using up stores of fat in their bodies. Penguins possess a salt excreting gland, which allows them to drink sea water, and shed the salt. In the wild, Magellanic penguins eat a diet of squid, cuttlefish and sardines. At the Zoo, they are hand-fed a diet of herring and capelin. Social Behavior Magellanic penguins often travel in large groups when searching for food. They are excellent long-distance swimmers and as they swim, they pop out of the water to gulp air and then plunge back into the waves. This kind of swimming is called “porpoising.” They have a whole range of sounds (moo, bleat, cackle, and two-toned bray) which may be important for locating mates and chicks.
During the breeding season, these birds gather in large nesting colonies, digging burrows underground or making shallow nests under bushes with up to 20 nests per 100 square meters. They vacate their nest sites in winter, but use them again each year. Penguins are generally long lived and may go through 20 or more breeding cycles in a lifetime. They lay two eggs, but generally raise only one chick to adulthood. Both parents care for the chicks, taking turns finding food and regurgitating it for their young. Status In The Wild There are still approximately 1.3 million pairs of wild Magellanic penguins on the coasts of Argentina and Chile, but the large breeding colonies are vulnerable to oil spills, destructive guano mining (for the manufacture of fertilizers) and declining fish populations. As a result of these pressures, Magellanic penguins are considered “near threatened.” Oil pollution alone is thought to kill more than 42,000 penguins every year along the Argentine coast, and El Nino Southern Oscillation events may cause considerable disruption to breeding cycles, as fish stocks (upon which parent birds depend to feed their young) change drastically during El Nino. As global climates change, penguins may be in serious danger; shifts in the marine food web directly affect these amazing predators. Other The San Francisco Zoo maintains the largest and most successful breeding colony of Magellanic penguins in captivity, having fledged approximately 205 chicks since 1985, and participating in a nationally-coordinated Population Management Plan (sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums). The Zoo’s penguins can be found on Penguin Island, located between the historic Lion and Pachyderm Houses. |
