Penguins

Feel the chill

The Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) is the third largest species of penguin, with only the Emperor and King penguins being larger. They are the fastest species of penguin, capable of reaching speeds of 22mph underwater.

Love is in the air

The Gentoo Penguin is monogamous, so two penguins will pair for a breeding season and share all the responsibilities of nest building, nest guarding, egg incubation and the rearing of offspring equally, and they are found to bow to each other to cement their pair-bond. It is not uncommon for penguins to mate for life, but on average a pair will stay together for around three breeding seasons before finding a new partner.

Feathers off

The Gentoo’s go through a process called a "catastrophic moult". Once a year they lose all their feathers all in one go, and replace them with a brand new set. During this period, they may not eat for around 2 weeks. They eat lots of extra food and gain a lot of weight beforehand to make sure they have adequate energy reserves for this process.

Penguins in danger

Over half of all penguin species are listed as endangered. Penguin populations are threatened by oil spills, bycatch, overfishing, habitat loss and climate change.

There are a number of threats to Gentoo penguins in particular - namely unsustainable fishing practices depleting their food sources and marine pollution (causing them to ingest plastics). 

To help our feathered friends, be sure to choose sustainable seafood and reduce single use plastic by switching to reusable products. 

Conservation

Gentoo penguins live on sub-Antarctic islands that are quite mountainous and surrounded by low lying pebble beaches. It is on these beaches that the penguins make their home - however due to climate change that is now under threat. As the ice caps melt and the sea levels rise, these pebble beaches become slowly but surely covered leaving the penguins with a smaller and smaller space to live. We can all do our bit to reduce the impact of climate change. Switch off electronics when they are not in use, turn off lights and use alternative transport options like a bike or train.