Galapagos Penguins

Species Description:

The Galapagos Penguin (scientific name Spheniscus Mendiculus) is one of the seventeen species of flightless birds in the Spheniscus family. The Galapagos are the third smallest penguin specie in the world as they range from a height of 48-53 cm in height and 1.7-2.6 kg in weight. They are the only penguins that can be found at the equator. They have several adaptations that allow them to tolerate the warmer climate of the Galapagos islands. The population was estimated at 1,800 individuals by Vargas et al. (2005), making them the rarest and most endangered penguin specie in the world. 

Habitat and Range:

The Galapagos penguins are found on the Galapagos Islands off the western coast of Ecuador. Most of the penguins can be found on the two larger islands of Fernandina and Isabela. 

Species Role in the Ecosystem/Importance:

There is little information available on the behavior of this species. It is known that the Galapagos penguins are major predators of small fish and other marine invertebrates in the coastal waters that surround their island homes. The penguins act as prey for marine and avian predators around the Galapagos. The penguins are also important because they provide economic value to tourists and avid birdwatchers that pay to travel and visit them in their natural habitat. 

Cause of Decline:

Galapagos penguins can usually live between 15-20 years but many will never live this long due to high mortality rates, predation, starvation, climatic events and human disturbance. The penguins are threatened by pollution, bycatch and climate change. Another reasons leading do their decline include to the fact that the Galapagos has limited options for nest sites and many of those nests no longer as exist because they are used by marine iguanas or have been flooded. They also have been introduced to species such as dogs and cats that carry diseases that can be spread to the penguins. 

Current Conservation Efforts:

Recent efforts to conserve the population of the Galapagos penguins have been made, including the Sylvia Harcourt-Carrasco Bird Life Fund being launched by the Galapagos Conservation Trust. This fund provides a push for conservation of the penguins and will hopefully lead to other conservation actions and eventually a healthy and restored population. Currently, the Galapagos penguin is contained within the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve where the penguins are being closely monitored and controlled. Other conservation efforts include discouraging the use of fishing nets in the foraging area, preventing coastal developments in the penguin's breeding areas and providing nest-boxes in predator free areas to allow research into the reproductive success of the species. Even with these conservation efforts, the specie is still very vulnerable to extinction.

How to Help:

I think that although there are conservation efforts to save these penguins, I am not sure it will be enough. I really hope that the people that live in the Galapagos Islands really do their part in order to help save these penguins. I wonder if they could look into introducing the species to other islands along the Equator in efforts to prevent the species from going extinct.