Hunter Island penguin (SciiFii)

The Hunter Island penguin (Tasidyptes hunteri) is a species of penguin found on Hunter Island, in Bass Strait 5 km off the western end of the north coast of Tasmania, Australia. The Hunter Island penguin was once extinct since the Early Holocene, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to Hunter Island to help boost biodiversity. The Hunter Island penguin resembles a hybrid between a Snares penguin (Eudyptes robustus) and a macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus), but with more straight crests like a Snares penguin and those crests are more reddish in color, along with its beak. Adults weigh on average 5.5 kg (12 lb) and are 70 cm (28 in) in length. The male and female are similar in appearance; the male is slightly larger and stronger with a relatively larger bill. Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine lifestyle. Its diet consists of a variety of crustaceans, mainly krill, as well as small fish and cephalopods; the species consumes more marine life annually than any other species of seabird. These birds moult once a year, spending about three to four weeks ashore, before returning to the sea. The conservation status of the Hunter Island penguin is Vulnerable due to some habitat loss and historic poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the Hunter Island penguin is a protected species.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii