South African Penguin Colony

    Penguins are very near Cape Town. A few have land-based colonies, but the others are located on islands to the north and south of Cape Town. Penguins are only located in the southern hemisphere, where polar bears are only in the northern hemisphere. The two species will never meet in the wild. The farthest north penguins on in the southern hemisphere is near the equator in the Galapagos Islands. For my marine biology field lab, we traveled to one of the land-based penguin colonies called Betty's Bay. This is a town of weekend homes for the people of Cape Town.
    The South Africa penguin is the second smallest species of penguin. The male and the female look very similar, so there is not a large size difference. Unlike many other animals, penguins remain in couples their entire lives. Even if a couple does not have a baby, or babies, the penguins will remain together. If the penguin has a thick black stripe across its chest, then this signifies that the penguin is physically mature. When the penguins become 18 months old, they begin to molt and learn how to swim. They do not eat during the molting process, but rather eat one month before and the month after the process is completed. They make a braying noise similar to a donkey, which gave them the nickname "the jackass penguin." They like to eat fish between 8am and 4pm, and are only threatened to be consumed by sharks and seals; humans do not pose a threat to their existence.