Member of staff with an African penguin on her lap, at the New England Aquarium, Boston
The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Adults weigh an average of – kg (– lb) and are 60–70 cm (24–28 in) tall. The species has distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes and a black facial mask. The body's upper parts are black and sharply delineated from the white underparts, which are spotted and marked with a black band. The African penguin is a pursuit diver and feeds primarily on fish and squid. Once extremely numerous, the African penguin is declining rapidly due to a combination of several threats and is classified as endangered. It is a charismatic species and is popular with tourists. Other vernacular names of the species include black-footed penguin and jackass penguin, due to the species' loud, donkey-like noise[3] (although several related species of South American penguins produce the same sound). They can be found along the coast of South Africa and Namibia.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston, Massachusetts
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: african, aquarium, bird, boston, demersus, enclosure, england, female, member, penguin, smiling, spheniscus, staff, suit, wet
