| Background Information |
Galapagos penguins are the smallest of the Spheniscid penguins; they weigh only 2.2 kilograms (about 5 pounds) and are only 0.5 meters tall. Like all other penguins, the Galapagos penguin is monomorphic and sexing can take place via behavioural or temporal cues. The Galapagos penguin can be differentiated from the other members of Spheniscus fairly easily. Quite bluntly, it's the most mangy looking of the four. With regards to its plumage, the Galapagos penguin has two ventral bands of brown feathers, the inferior band being mottled and the superior band being quite thick. The bill is longer and more slender than the bills of its cousins.
As their name implies, the Galapagos penguin inhabits the Galapagos Islands. These peri-equitorial islands are the host of thousands of diverse creatures, the penguins only one of them. Galapagos penguins breed throughout Albermarle and Narborough Islands, sometimes Isabela. At last count, the population was estimated to be less than 2000 breeding pairs. Diminishing food supply and El nino seem to be culprits. They are endangered.
Galapagos penguins are not migratory; they stay in these temperate waters year round. The subsist on small tropical fish and crustaceans, and they are careful to avoid the Galapagos shark and the occasional seal that may intrude upon these clear waters. On shore, penguin eggs and chicks are subject to Galapagos hawk and rat predation.
The shores of the Galapagos Islands are rich with life. Typically, creatures like crabs and iguanas pay no mind to the penguins that nap and nest in these areas. Here, without the disturbance of human tourists, the Galapagos penguins raise one or two chicks.
| Author Bernard Stonehouse |
Galapagos penguins Spheniscus mendiculus, smallest of the spheniscids, breed only on Albermarle and Narborough Islands in the Galapagos archipelago. Plumage patterns of throat and chest resemble those of Magellanic penguins, but are far less clearly defined. The birds breed in solitary pairs or small social groups, usually in caves or caverns close to sea level. Recent field studies have yielded accounts of the species (Leveque, 1964).
| Galapagos penguin multimedia |
- A Galapagos penguin stands and looks about
- Another Galapagos penguin stands on the rocks
- Galapagos penguins share the rocks with marine iguanas
Galapagos penguins living in a tropical paradise (© PBS)
A Galapagos penguin sounds off
Galapagos penguin fact sheet. (PDF, 125k)
