HUMBOLDT PENGUINS
HUMBOLDT PENGUIN
Scientific Name: Spheniscus humboldti
Size: Feathers - 2.1 cms
Height: 70 centimetres
Weight: 3.6 - 4 kilograms
REPRODUCTION / LIFE SPAN
Breeding: Springtime/Autumn
Nest: Caves and Under protected areas
Eggs: 1 - 3 (average 2) Incubate forty days
Young: Eat regurgitated food
Try swimming at three months
DIET
Wild: Anchovies, squid and crustaceans
Zoo: Sprats, herring, vitamins & salt tablets
HABITAT/RANGE
Coastal Islands, Peru and Chile
Found only in Southern Hemisphere
CHARACTERISTICS
Bones : Solid (as opposed to hollow bones in flying birds). Act as ballast while diving.
Feathers : 2 layers - top layer lies flat & overlaps to stop wind & water. Bottom layer 'downy' for warmth.
Swimming Speed : up to 25mph
Agile in water.
Feet : Webbed, serve as rudder.
Claws at end for climbing.
Insulation : 80% due to feathers
20% due to blubber
Mouth / Tongue : Backward-pointing spines hold in fish.
Every summer our Humboldt Penguins go through their annual moult.
This moult is catastrophic ~ the birds lose all their feathers before growing a completely new plumage.
Immediately prior to the moult the penguins gorge themselves on fish instinctively knowing they are about to lose their waterproof covering for a few weeks.
The image above, shows a Humboldt Penguin starting to moult.
After gorging the penguins swell up - including their flippers. At the Park this results in the keepers needing to cut off their identification tags to allow for expansion before replacing them once their flippers have returned to normal!
The image above, shows the moult over and stunning new feather growth. After a week or so the Penguins grow a completely new set of feathers and look really striking and will return to the water to feed.