Cape Town - PENGUINS - Day 1: (5 of 7)

(6 videos)
We visited Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, South Africa, the home to a protected colony of over 3,000 endangered African penguins. The 18 recognized species of penguins are globally distributed across the Southern Hemisphere. African penguins are famously nicknamed "jackass penguins" because they make a loud, braying sound that sounds exactly like a donkey.. Their black-and-white feathers act as camouflage called countershading. From above, their black backs blend into the dark ocean depths; from below, their white bellies blend with the bright sky. The pink skin patches above their eyes are actually a cooling mechanism. When a penguin gets hot, more blood flows to these patches to be cooled by the surrounding air. They generally keep the same mating partner for life. Both parents share equal responsibility for incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks.

Boulders Beach is managed by Table Mountain National Park (the Foxy Beach Boardwalk and the Boulders Swimming Beach). African penguins are facing a severe population crisis. In the early 2000s, there were tens of thousands of pairs; today, the entire global population has plummeted significantly due to overfishing and climate change. SANCCOB: The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) works closely with the park. They rescue abandoned chicks, rehabilitate injured birds, and release them back into the Boulders colony.Read more