Inguza predemersus (SciiFii)

The South African penguin (Inguza predemersus), also known as the dwarf African penguin, the African dwarf penguin, the pygmy African penguin, and the African pygmy penguin, is a species of penguin that originally lived in South Africa during the Late Pliocene, around 5 million years ago, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern South Africa's coastlines to help boost biodiversity. The South African penguin is most closely relative to the penguins of the genus Spheniscus, and is especially a close relative of the African penguin. As its common names suggest, the Eouth African penguin is one of the smallest species of penguin, only growing to be about 33 cm (13 in) in height and 43 cm (17 in) in length, similar in size to the little penguin (Eudyptula minor). Like most seabirds, the South African penguins have a long lifespan. The average for the species is 9 years, but flipper ringing experiments show in very exceptional cases up to 27 years in captivity. South African penguins are diurnal and like many penguin species, spend the largest part of their day swimming and foraging at sea. During the breeding and chick-rearing seasons, South African penguins leave their nest at sunrise, forage for food throughout the day and return to their nests just after dusk. Thus, sunlight, moonlight and artificial lights can affect the behaviour of attendance to the colony. Also, increased wind speeds can negatively affect the South African penguins' efficiency in foraging for chicks. South African penguins preen their feathers to keep them waterproof. They do this by rubbing a tiny drop of oil onto every feather from a special gland above the tail. Like other penguins, South African penguins are carnivores and feed primarily on small clupeoid fish, cephalopods and crustaceans. The conservation status of the South African penguin is Near Threatened due to some habitat loss, historic poaching, and some competition from fishermen, however, thanks to the conservationists, the South African penguins are a protected species and are making a comeback.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii