Rockhopper penguin
The Rockhopper penguin is a small, flightless bird known for its impressive swimming and diving capabilities. Typically found in the cold waters between Antarctica and the southern coasts of South America, Africa, and Australia, these penguins are distinguished by their black heads adorned with striking yellow plumes. Their bodies are thick and streamlined, averaging 20 to 22 inches in height and weighing between 6 to 10 pounds. Rockhopper penguins predominantly inhabit rocky islands where they come ashore to rest, breed, and undergo molting, typically from July to December.
Feeding primarily on squid and krill, these penguins dive to impressive depths of up to 330 feet. They possess specialized glands that help them excrete excess salt from their diet. Rockhoppers typically breed in large colonies, with males establishing nesting territories and forming long-term pair bonds. Once eggs are laid, both parents share incubation duties, and the chicks often gather in groups for safety while their parents forage for food. With a lifespan that can reach up to 30 years in some cases, Rockhopper penguins are notable not only for their unique appearance and behaviors but also for their resilience in the wild.
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Rockhopper penguin
The rockhopper penguins are small, flightless birds with superb swimming and diving skills. They spend most of their lives in the water. Even so, they receive their name from their ability to hop quickly and with ease over the rocks and climb cliffs to their nests. Rockhoppers have distinctive yellow plumes on their black heads.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Eudyptes
Species: Various (see below)
Rockhopper penguins have white plumage, or feathering, on their fronts and the undersides of their short, flipper-like wings. Their heads, backs, and the top sides of their wings are black. Their short beaks and round eyes are red. Above their eyes and on the tops of their heads are black and yellow plumes, or feathers, that point to the rear of their heads and down behind their eyes. Like the macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus), these penguins are often called crested penguins because of their feathers. The penguins' short, plump, streamlined bodies average 20 to 22 inches (52 to 55 centimeters) tall when standing up straight, and they weigh 6 to 10 pounds (three to five kilograms).
These penguins are at home in the cold waters between Antarctica and the tips of the southern continents of South America, Africa, and Australia. Thick layers of blubber, or fat, beneath their skin keep them warm while their waterproof coats of short, dense feathers keep them dry. When not in the water, they may be on an island with volcanic rock and clumps of grass or ice and rocks. They usually come ashore only to rest, breed, or molt. Molting is when they shed their old feathers and grow new ones. This happens at the end of the breeding season and takes about five weeks.
Rockhopper penguins feed in flocks, diving to depths of 330 feet (100 meters) to catch squid and krill. Krill are tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans. The penguins have special glands in their noses to remove much of the salt in the krill, which would otherwise be too salty for the penguins. While they swim, the penguins watch for orca whales (Orcinus orca), leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), southern sea lions (Otaria flavescens), blue sharks (Prionace glauca), and fur seals (Arctocephalus) that prey on the penguins. The penguins often escape because they can swim up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) per hour. Their flipper-like wings propel them, while their feet and tails act as rudders to steer.
Penguins leave the water by swimming quickly and then shooting out of the water. They land on their feet and hop along quite easily, using their claws to gain a firm footing on the rocks. When July arrives, the penguins begin leaving the water to breed. The season lasts until December. The female arrives after the male has found a nest site and has fought with other males to establish his territory within the colony. The colony may have thousands of penguins. Usually, a pair stays together for several years, using the same nest site each year. If a new female arrives before the female with which he mated last year, then the male may mate with her instead. The pair builds a shallow nest among the rocks and lines it with sticks and stones. For the first part of the incubation period, the female sits on her two eggs while the male finds food. When he returns, they share the task of incubation and switch every 10 to 15 days until the eggs hatch five weeks after being laid. Only one chick survives. It receives partially-digested food from its mother. The male protects the chick and its mother from petrels and skuas, which are large, predatory seabirds. While the parents are at sea searching for food, chicks huddle in large groups called creches or kindergartens. They can mate after six years.
The lifespan of rockhopper penguins is around 10 years in the wild, but some live to 30 years.
Some scientists classify these penguins into three subspecies:
Eastern Eudyptes chrysocome filholi
Southern Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome
Northern Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi
Bibliography
Phelan, Devon. "Eudyptes Chrysocome." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eudyptes‗chrysocome. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
"Rockhopper Penguin." A-Z Animals, 22 Apr. 2023, a-z-animals.com/animals/rockhopper-penguin. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
"Southern Rockhopper Penguin." National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/southern-rockhopper-penguin. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.