Remember my previous post: Swimming with dolphins at Kizimkazi? Well this time, I’ve decided to let you discover another great African destination: Boulders Beach, near Cape Town. The protagonists of today’s story are not dolphins nevertheless. Rather, they are very pretty little creatures: African Penguins!

Meet Mr African Penguin!

Location

Boulders beach is situated in Simon’s Town, a little haven near Cape Town. The area is protected under the Cape Peninsula National Park, one of the city’s most fascinating tourist attractions. It is home to one of the largest African penguin populations, with an estimated 3000 individuals!

African Penguins or Jackass Penguins?

In a variety of bird books, the little fellows are known as Jackass penguins (and no, this has nothing to do with the famous American series on MTV lol)! Strange name, huh? Well you see, the reason for this is due to their distinctive mating call that happens to sound just like a braying donkey! Recently however, scientists have changed its name because other species from South America apparently make the same kind of noise. Nowadays, Jackass penguins are called African penguins.

Another name for the animal is the Black-footed penguin (quite explicit), or Cape penguin!

Interesting Penguin Facts

The visit starts here!

Scientific Name: Spheniscus demersus.

Description: Black above, white below (for camouflage against predators). Black “horseshoe” on chest.

Elegant, isn’t he?

Juvenile: plain gray/brown.

Youngster enjoying the sun!

Habitat: Breeds on inshore islands. Feeds strictly at sea, foraging regularly out 9 miles (15 km).

Typical African penguin habitat!

Diet: Mainly fish (anchovy and pilchards).

Height: around 50-70 cm.

Body weight: between 2.1 and 3.7 kg.

Speed: While penguins are quite clumsy on land, they are excellent swimmers and can reach speeds of up to 15 mph (24 kmph). If you have the chance to see them under water, it’s almost as if they are flying!

Any fish?

Breeding season: mostly February-May, but all year around really. Just like humans (at least for most of us…), African penguins are monogamous and will partner for life.

Getting the party started!

Nesting: Nests in small colonies. Digs nest in sandy area or guano deposit under a boulder or bush, or in a burrow. Lays 2 eggs, which hatch after 38 days. Both parents incubate and feed the chicks.

Nesting in the dunes…

…or under cover!

Range: Restricted to Africa. Off western coast of South Africa, Namibia, South Angola and Mozambique.

Conservation status: numbers decreasing by about 2% a year.

International & South African Red Data Book Status: vulnerable.

My Experience

There are two beaches in Simon’s Town: one where only penguins are king (Foxy Beach), and the other where both people and penguins share the same sunning, bathing and resting space . The two beaches are adjacent to one another, so you can definitely plan to do both excursions on the same day.

On the one hand, Foxy Beach is accessible through a boardwalk that overlooks the spot. The admission fee is relatively affordable (R25 for adults and R5 for children; prices may vary over time of course). That’s where the largest part of the colony resides, and here no immediate contact with the birds is possible. Really nice scenic view though, and quite fascinating indeed! It’s a perfect venue to see them swim, eat, breed and preen almost without being noticed! I could stare at them all day…

Panoramic view of Foxy beach and its boardwalk!

On the other hand, Boulders Beach is where the real action takes place. Here you get to come face to face with these funny beings! I wouldn’t try to touch them though (forbidden). Penguins can be quite vicious with their sharp beaks, and would cause serious injury in no time. So please keep your distance!

Boulders Beach @ high tide!

Close encounter!

The idea is to have a good time, while still respecting the fact that these penguins remain wild animals!

Swimming is also possible, though you have to be more than courageous to take a dip (the water temperature is freezing, rarely reaching 15 degrees Celsius). I tried it a couple of times, but didn’t last very long .

As far as swimming WITH the penguins…good luck! The little creatures are extremely agile and quick in the water; it’s impossible to keep up with their rhythm!

Last minute check before leaving

June 2000 “Treasure” Oil Spill

Find out what almost caused the South African penguin population to become extinct!

Tags: African penguin, boulders beach, Cape Town, Jackass penguin, South Africa, swimming with penguins

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 9:35 pm and is filed under Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed or trackback from your own site.