There are times when you are away from work that require other staff members to  fill in for you.  Working with penguins is exactly the same.  I will be away from the Academy for a week and a 1/2 and other staff members will be working with the penguins.  There are 3 different staff members you will see in the exhibit: Brooke, Vikki and Allan.  The penguins will behave differently with each of the staff and will feed differently from each of the staff.  As you watch the cameras, you will observe these differences.  The penguins can adapt to these differences easily.  As a staff we all work together to ensure the health and well being of the entire African penguin colony.

Penguins replace all of their feathers once a year.  This is called Molting.  It is a penguin’s feathers that provide insulation in cold water and they must be in good condition in order to keep the penguin warm.  Before a penguin replaces its feathers it eats more than normal and gains up to several pounds.  This aids the penguin as during molt the bird does not swim.  In fact for a period of up to 14-21 days the penguin will stay on land and live off of  stored fat until the feathers are completely replaced.  African penguins can potentially molt any time of the year.  ”Dunker”, “Adasha”, “Domino” and “Pierre” are currently replacing their feathers.  The photo is of “Pierre”, his wing band has been taken off until he has grown all of his new feathers in.

“Howard” hatched on 11 January 2007.  He has developed a relationship with another young female in the exhibit and over the past few months they have established a territory together.  Today, I opened access to a new nesting area and observed their behavior.  Within ten minutes of opening the nest, he went into it to look around.  He started digging and rearranging nest material and has been braying with his girlfriend in their new home.  African penguins form stable bonds and are very specific about choice of nest location.  “Howard’s”  behaviors indicate he is learning the skills of an adult that will prove valuable in his future.  The nest is located behind the log in the exhibit, and “Howard” wears a light green band on his right wing.

African penguins feed on anchovies Engraulis japonica and sardines Sardinops ocellata (two types of fish) in the Benguela current.  This is a cold water ocean current found close to their islands off South Africa.  They can travel for as far as 100 miles to fish for food and usually travel in groups of 8  or more.  Penguins feed on as much as 12-15% of their body weight.  This is equivalent to a 150 pound human eating 80 hamburgers in one meal.  Penguins burn through calories quickly, it takes a lot of energy to keep their body temperatures warm while swimming in the cool waters.  Their internal temperature is 102-103 degrees Fahrenheit and the water they swim in can be 48-60 degrees Fahrenheit.   We feed our penguins every day at 10:30am and 3:30pm.

I am often asked by young students on what they need to do and know in order to work with penguins.  The question is: where do you want to work? In an office publishing papers, in the field studying the birds, in a clinic performing surgeries, in a rehabilitation clinic working with stranded/ill penguins or in an aquarium or in a zoo?  Each of these has different requirements. My advice is to choose where you want to work first, then fill in the education associated with that aspect.  Start with volunteering or interning in one or more of these fields, ask the staff you are volunteering or interning with how they got started, take as many math and science classes as possible, work hard and be friendly.