HUMBOLDT PENGUIN
Spheniscus humboldti

And you thought it was cold: Humboldt penguins are found along the coast of Chile and Peru, and on islands west of the South American coast.

Good for flying a kite: Penguins like rocky coasts rising into barren, sandy, windswept set-backs.

With anchovies, please: Penguins eat a variety of small fish such as anchovies and sardines.

Sharp-dressed characters: Adults are typically tuxedo-patterned with a black inverted horseshoe-shaped stripe across the chest identifying the species. The average penguin is approximately 22 to 26 inches in length and weighs between nine and 12 pounds (males weigh a bit more than females). Juveniles are colored black on the back and medium grey on the chest.
Humboldt penguins utilize a camouflage technique known as "counter-shading." From above, the penguin's dark back blends in with the inky blackness of the ocean's surface. From underneath, the white belly is difficult to detect against the shimmering sun filtering down from the ocean's surface. They are adapted for life at sea, with a torpedo-shaped body, solid bones, webbed feet and wings that have become flippers that are stiff, strong and narrow. Unlike other birds, which have hollow bones, the penguins' bones have become solid and fused for rigidity. Feathers are very small with approximately 70 per square inch. They are coated with oil for waterproofing.
Special glands remove salt from water and food. It is dissolved in water and flows down grooves in the beak to drip off the end.
Bare skin, forming pink patches around the eyes, aids in heat dispersal when the birds leave the cold water to rest on the relatively hot shore.

How long? The average lifespan of penguins is 15 to 20 years (up to 20 years.

What about the babies? Humboldt penguins usually breed from September through March. Incubation is provided by both sexes and lasts 38 to 40 days. Usually two eggs are laid. Nests are guano (or feces) burrows. Chicks will depend on their parents until about three months of age.

The penguin family: Humboldt penguins mate for life. They live in large colonies called rookeries. When traveling on land, they usually follow one behind the other as if playing follow-the-leader.

Want to race? Most swim at four to five mph, with bursts of speed up to 15 mph to elude predators or to catch fish. Incidentally, 15mph is the speed the fastest human can run, or about four times the speed of a human swimmer. Penguins use the technique of "porpoising," which is arching above the surface of the water and slipping in again as they travel to and from their fishing grounds. They can stay under water for about two minutes and can dive as deep as 15 meters. On land they stand erect and waddle from place to place. Like all penguins, Humboldt penguins are flightless.

Hey y'all: All penguins live in the Southern hemisphere. There are 32 known species in fossil records, but only 17 remain today. Four of these live in Antarctica. All the others live in Africa, South America, New Zealand and Australia. The largest species of penguin is the Emperor, which stands about three and a half feet tall and weighs up to 90 pounds; the smallest is the Little Blue or Farry Penguin, which weighs only about two to three pounds and stands about 16 inches tall.

Status: Rare. Humboldt penguins are SSP (Species Survival Plan) animals. Penguin populations are on the decline due to a number of factors. These include oil spills, overfishing (competition with fishermen for their food), illegal hunting and habitat degradation. Local peoples often collect penguin guano to sell for fertilizer. Since penguins use their guano for nests, this makes for a poor breeding area and breeding birds and chicks are disturbed. Therefore, less penguins are breeding and less chicks are surviving to adulthood.

*Roger Williams Park Zoo is a participant in the Species Survival Program, a cooperative effort by zoos to manage the population of rare and endangered animals. Read more.

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