Species Information

Visitors to Boulders Beach on the South African coast get a rare treat - an up-close-and-personal visit with a group of 'Jackass' Penguins. A flock of the penguins, with their distinct vertical black-and-white markings, took up residence on the Cape Town beach in 1985. Many of them have been banded in order to better study them.

The name 'Boulders' Beach derives from a cluster of large granite boulders breaking the coastline and providing numerous sheltered inlets and reefs. The origin of these boulders can be traced back some 300 million years when molten granite formed the base of the overlaying Table Mountian sandstone. The erosion of the surrounding softer material exposed the rounded granite boulders.

Because of their donkey-like braying call they were previously named the Jackass Penguin. Since several species of South American penguins produce the same sound, the local species has been renamed African Penguins, as they are the only example of the species that breed in Africa.

Throughout the Southern Hemisphere, penguins are in danger from modern fisheries, oil spills, even fur seals that chase them off their breeding grounds. Of the world's 17 species of penguin, two species are "Endangered", seven (including the African Penguin) are "Vulnerable", and two are "Near-threatened".

Their enemies in the ocean include sharks, Cape fur seals and, on occasion, killer whales (Orca). Land-based enemies include mongoose, genet, domestic cats and dogs - and the Kelp Gulls which steal their eggs.

Although the African Penguin breeds throughout the year the main breeding season starts in January . They are a monogamous species and the lifelong partners take turns o incubate their eggs and to feed their young.

Information Source: Penguin Facts