Humboldt Penguin

Humboldt Penguin at the Milwaukee County Zoo

 The Humboldt Penguin shares its namesake with a Squid, a Skunk, a Dolphin, several plants, a handful of geological features, a few cities and counties, and more parks than I can even quantify (I have actually lived within in mile or so of two Humboldt Parks in two different states... weird). The Mr. Humboldt in question is Alexander von Humboldt, a late 18th-early19th century German naturalist and explorer who traveled extensively throughout South and Central America from 1799-1804. But his entire biography is something to perhaps be covered another day (Theme Week: Famous naturalists perhaps?)

Humboldt Penguins are a relatively warm weather species. They live off of the coasts of Peru and Chile (and are sometimes referred to as "Peruvian Penguins." They can be identified by the black band of feathers that run across the chest, and the splotchy pink skin patches on the face. Like all Penguins they have hydrodynamic torpedo-shaped bodies, powerful paddle-like wings, and webbed feet that allow them to move underwater at speeds of up to 30mph. They eat small fish, squid, and crustaceans.

The species has a pretty interesting nesting habit... they build their burrows in dried guano (poop!) that is left on the rocks by other seabirds. They breed throughout the year, and many pairs remain monogamous through their lifetimes. Two eggs are laid at once, and both parents incubate them and feed the hatched chicks.

Sadly, the Humboldt Penguin is on the decline. Though they have lived on the South American coast for thousands of years, this last century has been particularly unkind to them. Overfishing of the area, introduced predators, habitat loss, and climate change have all played a part in reducing the population. In addition to these factors, the harvesting of guano for fertilizer has damaged the breeding sites. It is estimated that there are around 12,000 breeding pairs in the wild. Thankfully the local governments and international organizations are working to protect the breeding colonies, and to breed the Penguins in captivity.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : South America
Size : Body Length around 28in (70cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Sphenisciformes
Family : Spheniscidae -- Genus : Spheniscus -- Species : S. humboldti

Magellanic Penguin

Spheniscus magellanicus

Magellanic Penguins, named for explorer who first spotted them in the 16th century, are medium sized warm weather penguins. They are called warm weather penguins because they live rather far north during the winter, living off the coats of Brazil and northern Argentina.

They are adapted to cold weather, sporting layers of fat and thick feathers. However, Magellanic Penguins are also used to the warm weather as well. When it gets hot they shed feathers around their eyes and bills to keep cool.

Magellanic Penguins live in very large flocks that travel together from the breeding and wintering grounds. It is estimated that there are over 1,000,000 breeding pairs, all of whom maintain monogamous bonds for life.

Though there are literally millions of these birds out there, they are considered to be Near Threatened. This is because populations that live in large colonies are very susceptible to oil pollution. It is estimated that 40,000 die every year from oil off the coast of Argentina.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened

Location : South America
Size : Height up to 30in (76cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Sphenisciformes
Family : Spheniscidae -- Genus : Spheniscus -- Species : S. magellanicus

Galapagos Penguin

Spheniscus mendiculus

Did you know that there is only one species of Penguin that lives north of the Equator? Today's animal is the very one! The Galapagos Penguin is endemic to its namesake islands which lie smack dab on the Equator, giving the birds their unique distinction!

Galapagos Penguins are small little guys, standing only about 18in tall when full grown. They have black heads and bodies, with white bellies and white horse-shoe-shaped lines that run from their eye to chin.

Living in such a warm climate can be rough for a bird from an Antarctic Family! In order to stay cool the penguins spend the daytime in the colder current waters, and then they come ashore at night. They also pant, hold their flippers out to let heat out of their bodies, and stand hunched over their bare feet.

Galapagos Penguins don't' have a set breeding season-- they tend to reproduce whenever the food supply is the most abundant. pairs will mate for life, which helps when you have such irregular breeding patterns. They lay two eggs at a time, nesting in rock crevasses. Parent have to protect their offspring carefully during the first month of life-- they don't have feathers yet that can protect them from the harsh sun!

There are only around 1,000 Galapagos Penguin breeding pairs left in the wild, and they are considered to be Endangered. Climate Change has been a major factor in their population decline-- warmer water temperatures lead to smaller food stocks.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : Galapagos Islands
Size : Length up to 19in (49cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Sphenisciformes
Family : Spheniscidae -- Genus : Spheniscus -- Species : S. mendiculus

Icadyptes salasi

Icadyptes salasi

Penguins are weird and interesting. Seabirds who swim better than they can fly.. or even walk? Well if the modern, waddling Penguins are so unique among birds, just take a look at some of their ancestors. Thankfully, the Penguins odd flightless bodies have been a huge help in studying them-- their bones are thicker and their fossils have survived quite well.

Icadyptes salasi is a Penguin ancestor that lived 36 millions years ago. Its fossils were uncovered in Peru, which is notable because Peru at that time was just as close to the Equator as it is now, and was even warmer in temperature. Today there are very few Penguins that live that far north, and they are much smaller in size.

Oh, have I not mentioned how large Icadyptes was yet? 5ft (1.5). That's one tall Penguin, taller than the largest modern Penguin-- the Emperor. Interestingly, it is only the third largest Penguin ever discovered. Icadyptes also had an incredibly long, spear-like beak that made up about 2.3 of their head length. These beaks were spears that could be used to catch prey.

The presence of this species in such a warm climate has causes researchers to revise the Penguin timeline. It was previously believed that the birds only spread north around 10 million years ago.

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Status : Extinct for 36 million years
Location : South America
Size : Height up to 5ft (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Sphenisciformes
Family : Spheniscidae -- Genus : †Icadyptes -- Species : †I. salasi

Anthropornis

Anthropornis

If you though the Emperor Penguin was the largest of all the Penguins, you'd be correct... sort of. While they dominate the size charts for all living species, they would have been dwarfed back in the Eocene. Today's animal, Anthropornis, is an extinct Penguin that stood six feet tall!

There are two identified species within the genus Anthropornis, A. nordenskjoldi and A. grandis. Their genus name translates to "Man Bird," and fossils have been found in New Zealand and on Seymour Island off of Antarctica. They lived between 45 and 37 million years ago.

Anthropornis lived an aquatic lifestyle as modern penguins do, but they had bent wings. This is a trait that they carried over from their flying relatives.

Fun fact about Anthropornis: they were indirectly mentioned in the H.P. Lovecraft novel At the Mountains of Madness. Six foot tall albino cave penguins!

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Status : Extinct for 37 million years

Location : Australia, Antarctica, New Zealand
Size : Height up to 6ft (1.8m), Weight up to 200lbs (90kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Sphenisciformes
Family : Spheniscidae -- Genus : Anthropornis

Great Auk

Pinguinus impennis

The Greak Auk once lived across the North Atlantic, and was once referred to as "the Penguin of the North" due to the fact that it was a black and white waterbird unable to fly. Their genus name is even Pinguinus!

Like Penguins, Great Auks were excellent swimmers and fish catchers. They hunted in shallow coastal waters, and moved to rocky islands in order to breed. They probably mated for life, and did you know that their eggs were 5in (13cm) long?

Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Great Auk. Between the 15th and 19th centuries millions of them were hunted for meat and feathers. While their lack of flight allowed them to hunt effectively in water, it also made them very easy targets for man. Before human encroachment, the Auks had very few natural predators. A second blow came when, in 1830, the last remaining colony sunk off the coast of Iceland due to a volcanic eruption. The few surviving birds were swiftly killed off when they relocated to the mainland.

By 1844, the once abundant birds were all gone. A few dozen specimens in museums are all that we have left of the Penguin of the North.

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Status : Extinct since 1844

Location : North Atlantic
Size : Height up to 33in (85cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Charadriiformes
Family : Alcidae -- Genus : Pinguinus-- Species : P. impennis