Up Close and Personal With… Penguins

Penguins might not be the first animal that comes to mind when we talk about marine creatures but they are certainly a firm favourite with their comical walk and distinctive features. They are actually present in a wide range of our ocean environments too, from hot rocky shores to sub-zero ice floes. Let’s get to know some of the world’s penguin species and the threats they face a little better.

Around the world there are 18 penguin species in total and almost all of these live below the Equator, with only the colonies inhabiting the Galapagos Islands being the exception. These funny little creatures have adapted to live in a wide range of environments, from Australia to South Africa to Antarctica and their looks range almost as much as their habitats. Crested penguins proudly sport bright yellow spiky hair whilst the tiny fairy penguin has a striking blue back and bright white belly. All of them share certain adaptions however which help them survive and make them stand out from other bird species. For example, most birds have hollow bones which allow them to be lighter for flying, yet penguins have solid bones which reduce their buoyancy and help them swim underwater, with the great emperor penguin diving to depths of over 500 metres! Their distinct black and white colour actually acts as camouflage once they are in the water, with their black backs blending into the dark depths of the ocean whilst their light underbellies melt into the bright surface waters when viewed from below. Other nifty adaptations include glands which filter out salt allowing them to drink seawater and large clawed feet which not only act as a rudder when swimming but allow them to walk up to a mighty 60 miles across ice in order to reach their breeding grounds. When not chasing after fish in the ocean, penguins can be found spending several hours a day preening, which is where they spread oil from a gland near their tail over their feathers to help waterproof them.

Emperor penguins may be one of the most well-known species and are also the largest, standing at roughly 120 centimetres tall and weighing around 40 kilos, although ancient fossils show that much greater penguins used to waddle the Earth, weighing in at an astonishing 115 kilos! Emperors live in Antarctica and spend a large amount of their life on floating ice which is connected to the land. These patches of ice are incredibly important as they form mating and breeding grounds for approximately 600,000 adults. With this species living in such a harsh environment, researching their antics is particularly tricky and so scientists have enrolled the help of satellite technology. From space, they have been able to identify 54 different colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica, not from the birds themselves but from the poo stains they have left behind! Once the females have laid their eggs, they will carefully pass these delicate items to their male partner who then, in an incredible feat of perseverance, balances the egg on their feet for between 65-75 days whilst the female eagerly heads off to the ocean to feed. During this time, the male will forgo food for several months, losing half their bodyweight in the process, as they constantly battle to keep their egg from touching the ice. It is during this process that penguins perform the classic huddle in order to keep warm and with temperatures reaching -50°C, its no wonder they are keen to group together, taking turns to move to the colder outside before shuffling back into the centre.

Humboldt penguins on the other hand have adapted to survive the very opposite problem; becoming too hot. This species lives on the coasts of Peru and Chile, hunting for shrimp, fish and squid. They have bare patches of pink skin around their eyes and this lack of feathers allows them to expel heat when they get too hot. Rockhopper penguins may have the most iconic look however, with their black and yellow spiked hair and their personality lives up to this punky image as they are often found slapping each other with their flippers as they battle for mates, nesting sites and food. Yet not all penguins fight in this way, with some species actually being rather romantic. The gentoo penguins of Antarctica are famous for their mating technique which sees the male search the beach for the right pebble to gift the female who has caught his eye. Once paired, they will then search for stones together which they will use to build their nest. Monogamous relationships are not overly common in the animal kingdom but penguins mate for life so that one partner can watch the egg whilst the other heads off to catch dinner.

Unfortunately however, these charismatic creatures are facing multiple threats in the modern day both in the ocean where they feed and on land where they breed. Overfishing is a massive pressure felt by penguin populations around the world but most notable might be those living in Africa. Jackass penguins, nicknamed for their donkey-like braying noise, live in Namibia and in the 1950s fed on abundant stocks of fatty nutritious sardines. By the 1970s however, overfishing had led to a collapse in fish stocks, forcing the penguins to switch to low in fat, less nutritious bearded gobies. This is causing a particular problem here as when African penguins venture from the nest for the first time, they do so alone without any guidance, following environmental cues on where to find food. This means they are following the trail of abundant plankton, which would normally lead them to a feeding frenzy of fish but now they are being led to areas of little or no food. This has resulted in an 80% decline in the population. A similar fate could also soon be seen in Antarctic species like adelie and chinstrap penguins as they compete with the growing fisheries which source krill for aquaculture feed and human supplements.

Another human industry causing disturbance is guano harvesting. As unlikely as it sounds, penguin poo, or guano, is a highly prized product as it is a great natural fertiliser. In Peru, Humboldt penguins actually scrape away some of the great build up of guano to create a protected cosy nest for their young but with guano harvesting, this nesting material quickly disappears whilst the invasion of humans into their colonies causes distress, leading to nest abandonment and reduced breeding.

In other areas, increasing development along coastlines is threatening the peace of penguin colonies, such as the Punta de Choros islands in Chile. These islands are home to 80% of the world’s Humboldt penguins as well as whales and expensive shellfish which thrive here due to the incredibly clean waters. However, several years ago, this pristine environment was threatened by the proposal of open pit mines, a desalination plant and a commercial port, all of which would bring with it increased shipping traffic and human activity, leading to noise, chemical and oil pollution. Thankfully, the community and local politicians saw the potential damage this would cause the environment based on the destructive industries which had taken over the north of the country and decided they wanted a better future for their patch of planet Earth. Yet how long will it be before demand, money and big businesses get their way?

There are several types of pollution that penguins must battle with every day but plastic may be the most harmful. It is estimated that 90% of the world’s seabirds have consumed plastic, penguins included, as our oceans turn into floating garbage patches. Once ingested, plastic can give birds the illusion that they are full whereas in reality, they have nothing nutritious in their stomachs sustaining them at all. Sharp plastic items may also damage internal organs whilst plastic has a worrying ability to absorb toxins found in seawater which then travel into living beings causing a range of issues from birth defects to cancer.

Climate change is another ever-increasing threat as extreme weather damages the ecosystems penguins have spent so many millennia adapting to. In Argentina, intense storms drive cold rain into the coast where chicks struggle to stay warm as their fluffy down coats are only insulating when dry. Migrating fish stocks moving poleward to escape warming temperatures means prey species are moving away from penguin breeding grounds, forcing the birds to travel further and further after months of fasting whilst bringing home less food for hungry chicks. Soon, it is believed the ice in Antarctica will melt at such a rate that historical breeding sites will be lost, forcing colonies to find new suitable homes which are few and far between and could cause competition between different species.

Finally, despite living in isolated areas, such as oceanic islands, rocky shores and floating ice, penguins are still battling the invasion of alien species, a threat they are ill-adapted to overcome as they have lived in relative isolation for so many years. The beautifully named fairy penguins on Australia’s Middle Island suddenly plummeted in numbers at the turn of the century when foxes were introduced to lower the rabbit population. In the space of seven years, the penguin population fell from 500 to less than 10. A brilliant and coincidentally very cute solution has been found however, with guardian Maremma dogs introduced to the islands to act as personal bodyguards for the penguins and since they have been on duty, not a single penguin death has been attributed to pesky foxes.

Luckily there are lots of other amazing initiatives taking place across the world to protect our penguins, from the sanctuaries that are hand-raising chicks to the incredibly realistic penguin figurines that are being placed on well suited coastlines in Africa in the hope of luring penguins to new colonies free from predators and full of prey. Whilst many of us will struggle to help penguins directly, we can make our small bit of difference to the issues that are threatening them, whether we choose to opt for sustainable seafood options, cut down on our greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate single use plastic or support the work of an environmental organisation.

By Neve McCracken-Heywood