The Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is a penguin endemic to the Galapagos Islands. This is the only penguin that lives north of the equator in the wild. This can take place because of the cold temperature produced from water and cold Humboldt current from great depths brought up by the Cromwell Current. The Galapagos Penguin is one of the banded penguins, other species that live mostly in coastal South American mainland, and Africa.
Galapagos Penguin average is 49 cm (19 in) long and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) weight. This is the third smallest species of penguin. They have a black head with a white line running from the back of the eye, around the black feather ear and chin, to join on the throat. They have blackish-gray upperparts and white hamster, with two black bands on the breast, the lower band extends below the hips to the thighs. Teens different in a completely dark head, greyer on the sides and chin, and no breast-band. Female penguins are smaller than the males, but otherwise quite similar.
The Galápagos Penguin occurs primarily on Fernandina Island and the west coast of Isabela Island, but small populations spread over the other islands in the Galapagos archipelago.
While ninety percent of the Galapagos Penguins live in the western islands of Fernandina and Isabela, they also occur in Santiago, Bartolome, northern Santa Cruz, and Floreana. Northern tip of Isabela crossed the equator, which means that occasional Galapagos Penguins visit the northern hemisphere, the penguins just to do so.the penguins live in the archipelago. They live by Cromwell current day because of the cold and back to the ground at night. They feed on small school fish, especially mullet, sardines, and sometimes crustaceans. They search for food only during the day and usually within a few miles of their breeding site. They rely on a rich nutrient cold currents to bring them food.
The temperature on the island remains between 15 and 28 degrees Celsius (59-82 ° F). During El Niño season, penguins breed delay because they become less abundant food, this makes the possibility of increasing child succeeds disadvantage compared with the possibility of dying in labor. They usually breed when the sea surface temperature below 24 degrees Celsius (75 ° F), which produce more food for them. Strong sun is a major problem for the penguins. Their primary means of cooling off going into the water, but they have other behavioral adaptations because all the time they spend on the ground. They use two methods termoregulasi in warmer weather on land. One of them is to stretch their fins and bent forward to keep the sun from shining on their feet, because they can lose heat from their fins because blood flow there. They also pants, using evaporation to cool the throat and airway. Galapagos Penguins protect eggs and chicks from the hot sun to keep them in the crevices in the rocks.
This species is endangered, with an estimated population size of about 1,500 people in 2004, according to a study conducted by the Charles Darwin Research Station. More alarming population decline of 70% in the 1980s, but is slowly recovering. Therefore the rarest penguin species (status is often wrongly attributed to the Yellow-eyed Penguin). Population level is influenced by the effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation, which reduces the availability of shoaling fish, causing low reproduction or starvation. However, anthropogenic factors (eg oil pollution, fishing by-catch and competition) can add ongoing death of this species. On Isabela Island, introducing cats, dogs and rats attack penguins and destroy their nests. When in the water, they eat shark, fur seals, and sea lions.
There are couples procreate less than 1000 of the world's Galapagos Penguins. Breeding begins when sea surface temperatures drop to around 24 ° C. Most nests seen between May and nest January.The made in 50 meters (160 feet) of water on the beach, usually at Fernandina and Isabela Islands. Adults living near the county farm for years with their partner that they have chosen to live. When penguin breeding, incubation lasts 38-40 days with both parents help. After thirty days of the chicks were born and both parents responsibility division of treating them, the chicks have brown fur above and white below. The purpose of this is to protect the chicks from the strong sun more than keep them warm. Galapagos Penguins mate for life. This puts one or two eggs in places such as caves and cracks, protected from direct sunlight, which can cause overheating eggs. One of the parents will always remain with the eggs or chicks while the other does not appear for several days to feed. The elderly usually enlarges until only one child. If there is not enough food available, the nest may be abandoned. Bermudian naturalist Louis L. Mowbray is the first successful dikembangbiakkan Galapagos penguins in captivity.
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