Galápagos penguin

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Spheniscus
Species: Mendiculus
Binomial name
Spheniscus mendiculus – Named by Jakob Sundevall, 1871

Approximately the size is 36 cm and 2 Kg weight. They live in Galapagos Island.

Galapagos penguin entered IUCN Red List 2018 as an Endangered species. Galapagos penguin is
endangered mainly due to severe El Niño cycles and introduced predators. The increasing
severity of El Niño cycles is the most serious threat to this species, because a severe cycle could
result in extinction of the species. The penguin habitat is degrading, egg and chicks are being
collected, accidental deaths in fisheries, mammal predators eating them, and oil pollution are the
main threats.
They balance the fish population; these penguins are important prey species for other marine and
avian predators of the area, and they carry nutrients between land and sea, and enrich both with
their feces. Some burrowing species even modify the landscape as they dig nests into the ground.

Two fun facts

- The Galápagos penguin goes through two molts per year, each lasting about 13 days.
- Galápagos penguins are the only penguin species to live on the equator.