Species Of The Week

This week’s species is called the Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) also known as the Peruvian Penguin. The Humboldt Penguin was named after the Humboldt Current which the species is known to swim. The current itself was named after the explorer Alexander Von Humboldt. This species of Penguin originates from Chile and Peru but can be found in other coastal areas of South America. Humboldt Penguins cans survive in higher temperatures due to their body’s natural cooling system, the featherless skin around their eyes and the base of its bill helps the penguin’s body to expel heat. Humboldt penguins can reach the speed of 20 to 30 km/h while swimming, and can hold their breath for up to 2 minutes. The Humboldt Penguin is a carnivore, its diet is mainly built on Krill and Small Crustaceans but they have also been known to hunt larger marine animals such as squid and other species of fish. Over the past few years the Humboldt Penguins population has been decreasing drastically with human interference being the main cause (for example; habitat loss, oil spills and hunting).