What is the reason for the name of the spectacled donkey penguin. South African or spectacled penguin. Life at the Moscow Zoo

Squad - Penguin-like (Sphenisciformes)

Family - Penguins (Spheniscidae)

Genus - Spectacled penguins (Spheniscus)

Spectacled penguin (Spheniscus demersus)

At the beginning of the 20th century, these birds were on the verge of extinction. The reason for this was the use of their eggs for food by the local population. African penguins they did not have time to incubate the eggs, as the inhabitants simply collected them. To date, this species is listed in the International Red Book and is protected by law.

Appearance:

Penguins have a streamlined, torpedo-shaped body; loose wings, in the course of evolution, became dense flippers; short paws. Short feathers fit tightly to each other, protecting the skin from getting wet, heat and hypothermia. Penguins don't fly.

This species is the largest of its kind. Reaches a height of 65-70 cm and a weight of 2.1 - 3.7 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. They also have a taller beak, but the differences are only visible when the birds stand side by side.

Coloring, like most penguins, is black at the back, white at the front. A narrow black horseshoe-shaped stripe runs along the chest, which descends along the sides of the body to the paws. In addition, a white stripe goes around the back of the sides of the head and cheeks and then goes forward to the eyes and further in the direction of the beak, but does not reach the beak.

The chicks hatch from eyes closed and covered with dark gray down. Legs and beak are black.

Young birds, before their first molt, differ in color from adults. The back, upper chest and flippers, head are black. The throat, lower part of the flippers, sides and belly are white. There is a thin white eyeliner around the eyes. The beak and paws are black. In young birds, black dots appear on the belly, individual for each individual, which remain for life.

Area:

The only penguin species that breeds in Africa. Its distribution roughly coincides with the cold Benguela Current, but in more it is due to the presence of offshore islands suitable for nesting.

On this moment there are 27 spectacled penguin colonies, of which only three are on the mainland coast. And in 10 more places the birds no longer nest, although they nested there earlier. At present, the world population is about 70,000 pairs, but this is only 10% of what it was in 1900, when about 1.5 million birds nested on Dassen Island alone. By 1956, the number of penguins had halved, and then the next two-fold reduction in numbers occurred by the end of the 1970s, when about 220 thousand adult birds were counted. By the end of the 1980s, the number fell to 194 thousand individuals, and in the early 1990s it was 197 thousand adult birds. By the end of the 1990s, the number began to increase slightly and in 1999 reached 224 thousand individuals.

Nutrition:

They feed mainly on pelagic schooling fish species, such as, for example, anchovies, sardines, as well as mollusks and crustaceans.

When hunting, it can reach speeds of up to 20 km / h. On average, dives for a spectacled penguin are 2.5 minutes long and 30m deep, although dives of up to 130m have been recorded. The distance that penguins move while feeding depends on both time and location of the colony. On the west coast, penguins swim 30-70 km in one feeding, while on the south coast - 110 km. While the parents are feeding the chicks, the movements of the birds are more limited.

Reproduction:

The nesting period is extended throughout the year. Spectacled penguins are monogamous. Having formed a couple, they remain faithful to each other for life. From the sea they return to their former nesting place, if the meeting does not take place due to the death of a partner, then they can find a new companion.

They nest on rocky areas. Sometimes they dig holes, but more often they use small holes hidden by vegetation. Nesting under cover provides the shade needed to protect the chick from overheating.

The clutch consists of 2 eggs. Both parents alternately incubate her for 40 days. The duration of the change of partners depends on the feeding conditions and averages 2.5 days.

Both parents take care of the chicks, and for the first 15 days, until they have established thermoregulation, one of them constantly warms the chicks. Until the age of one month, while the chicks are still small, one of the parents protects them from attack by seagulls. After that, both parents can go to sea to feed the chicks. At this time, the penguins form a "nursery".

At the age of 60-130 days, young birds, becoming independent, leave the colony. They spend 12-22 months at sea, after which they return to their native colony, where they molt into adult plumage.

Our pets:

In 2011, spectacled penguins arrived in our park from South Africa. These birds, due to their curious disposition, immediately became the favorites of the public. But, despite their curiosity, these penguins are distinguished by their cowardice and caution. If they are used to the fact that it is this person who feeds them, then they will never approach another. Moreover, if something new is found in the familiar “breadwinner” - hair color, hairstyle, T-shirt of a different color - you can not expect attention from these cute birds. In addition, spectacled penguins are noble fighters. They are in conflict over everything - a place "in the sun", fish, a partner - and just like that, to maintain morale.

In 2014, one of the couples pleased us with an egg, from which, in the incubator, our first chick, Chudi, hatched. In 2016, the same couple had another chick, who was named Mila. And more recently, in July 2017, the couple gave another chick, which has not yet been named.

Interesting fact:

The spectacled penguin is also called the donkey penguin because it screams piercingly.

IN wild nature the spectacled penguin lives 10 to 12 years.

The name penguin comes from English word penguin. According to one of the existing versions, translated from the Welsh pengwyn means - a white head.

Spectacled penguin is also characterized by good endurance. Representatives of this species dive to a depth of more than 100 m, hold their breath for several minutes, can swim up to 120 km without stopping, while developing a speed of up to 20 km / h.

Penguin with this unusual name lives in Africa. Donkey penguins got such a nickname not by chance. The fact is that their voice is very similar to the cries of a donkey.

By the way, you can listen to the penguin singing. Another name for the donkey penguin is the black-footed or spectacled penguin. Here, I think explanations are superfluous. Donkey penguins live off the coast washed by a cold current. In behavior, donkey penguins are very similar to their Antarctic counterparts. Donkey penguins are faithful to their pair, they incubate eggs in turn. Coloring is traditional, white in front, black in the back. Penguins also have a rather narrow black stripe in the shape of a horseshoe. She is perfect from the chest to the very paws.

There are spots on the body of donkey penguins, they are individual, like fingerprints in humans. Donkey penguins are sociable, smart and kind. They feed on fish, but prefer crustaceans. Donkey penguins reach 70 centimeters in height and can weigh up to 5 - 5.5 kilograms.

Living close to humans has made donkey penguins friendly to humans. The beach colonies seem to enjoy interacting with tourists. Penguins let people very close, at a distance of a meter, and are not averse to delving into the things of a gaping tourist.

However, not everyone is so happy. According to press reports, the number of penguins in Africa has decreased from 121,000 pairs in 1956 to 26,000 pairs in 2008. The number of donkey penguins has declined so much that it is time to take urgent action.
Last year there were only 26,000 pairs of penguins in South Africa, up from 121,000 pairs in 1956, and in the 1900s, the population of these birds numbered at least 2 million individuals. Scientists are calling for urgent action - the only way to stop a further decline in the bird population. Experts also consider it necessary to find out what causes a sharp decline in the number of donkey penguins.
According to researcher Peter Barham from the University of Bristol (UK), the main factor here may be the reduction of food resources. In particular, it is likely that food resources have been disrupted by overfishing for sardines and anchovies, or by the movement of fish to other parts of the ocean due to global warming. In addition, pollutants in the air and water may have weakened the penguins' health and reduced their ability to forage.

Among others negative factors- predatory extermination of penguins fur seals, oil spills, as well as a reduction in the number of cool, suitable breeding sites in the colonies due to climate change.

Prepared based on materials from online publications.

South African penguin, spectacled, or donkey(Spheniscus demersus)

Class - Birds

Squad - Piguinoid

Family - Penguins

Genus - Spectacled penguins

Appearance

The largest of the spectacled penguins. It reaches 65-70 cm in height and weighs 3-5 kg. Coloring, like most penguins, black at the back, white at the front. On the chest up to the paws is a narrow black line in the form of a horseshoe.

The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tinge.

Habitat

The range is the coast of South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands in the area of ​​​​the cold Benguela Current.

In nature

Lives in colonies. Spectacled penguins feed mainly on pelagic schooling fish species such as anchovies, sardines, as well as molluscs and crustaceans. When hunting, it can reach speeds of 20 km / h. On average, spectacled penguin dives are 2.5 minutes long and 30m deep, although dives of up to 130m have been recorded. The distance that penguins move while feeding depends on both time and location of the colony.

reproduction

They begin to breed at the age of 2-6 years, but usually at 4 years. The nesting period of the spectacled penguin is extended. In most colonies, birds at any stage of the nesting cycle can be found throughout the year. However, there are still some regional differences: the peak of breeding in Namibia is in November-December, while in South Africa it is in March-May.

Spectacled penguins are monogamous and the same pair will usually return to the same colony and nest. 80-90% of pairs stay together for the next breeding season. There are cases when partners stayed together for more than 10 years. The clutch consists of 2 eggs. Both parents alternately incubate her for 40 days. The duration of the change of partners depends on the feeding conditions and averages 2.5 days. Both parents take care of the chicks, and for the first 15 days, until they have established thermoregulation, one of them constantly warms the chicks. Further, until the age of one month, while the chicks are still small and one of the parents protects them from the attack of seagulls. After that, both parents can go to sea to feed the chicks. During this time, the chicks form "nurseries" that serve mainly to protect them not from predation by gulls, but from attacks from adult birds. "Fledglings" leave the colony at the age of 60-130 days.

The duration of the nesting period, the weight of fledglings, and the productivity of the breeding season depend on the availability and quality of food. After leaving the colony, young birds become independent. They spend 12-22 months at sea, after which they return to their native colony, where they molt into adult plumage.

Moulting in adult spectacled penguins is more synchronized than the breeding season. In South Africa, most penguins molt in November-January, while in Namibia - in April-May. The molt itself lasts about 20 days. In front of her, penguins accumulate fat in the sea for about 5 weeks and lose almost half their weight when they molt. After completing the molt, the birds spend about 6 weeks at sea to regain their previous weight.

Life expectancy is about 10-12 years.

Penguins need special conditions that require not only a special pool, but also a climate control system. Seemingly harmless creatures, they have a complex character and at any moment can peck or bite until they bleed. Birds are a lot of trouble. They often get sick, are very picky about food - they prefer mainly fish. Despite all the difficulties of keeping, penguins feel great in captivity.

For a comfortable stay, penguins need a cold atmosphere, a spacious swimming pool and a rocky shore. The air temperature in the pool is not higher than 18-20°C, the water temperature in the pool is 10-15°C. In addition, penguins do not tolerate the sun well, so if the enclosure is located outside, it is necessary to equip a grotto in it, where the penguins could hide during the day.

The spectacled penguin is the only penguin species native to Africa. Many people think that penguins live only in the coastal waters of Antarctica. However, this is not the case: they can be found in the waters of Australia, South America and even the hottest mainland of the planet.

Spectacled, or donkey, penguins nest on the southwestern coast of Africa, which is washed by the cold waters of the Bengal Current. Nesting takes place every winter when temperatures on the mainland are not as high as in summer. Nevertheless, birds still have to protect the eggs they lay from overheating. To do this, they dig a small hole in guano (the decomposed remains of bird droppings and bats) on the coast, where they lay their eggs. After about 40 days, chicks hatch from them and soon find themselves in the "crèche".

Until it's time to lay their eggs, penguins spend most of their time at sea. There they prey on sardines and marine invertebrates, eating up to 540 grams of prey per day. Today, however, industrial fishing forces these birds to switch from sardines to less nutritious food for them, such as anchovies.

However, this is not the only reason that spectacled penguins are now an endangered species. Oil spills in the sea cause no less harm to them. For example, there is a well-known major disaster that occurred in the waters South Africa in 2000. Then, during the sinking of the Treasure vessel, approximately 1,300 tons of oil products turned out to be in the water, soiling about 40,000 spectacled penguins.

Special organs on the head help the spectacled penguins maintain the required temperature (pink marks just above his eyes). The higher the body temperature of the bird, the more blood is sent to them. And thanks thin skin organs, the blood in them is rapidly cooled by the surrounding air.