Galapagos Penguin
Galapagos penguins live further north than any other penguin, and have the smallest breeding range any penguin. Galapagos penguins are the only equatorial penguin species in the world. Their habitat is the Galapagos Islands and Isabela Island, slightly north of the Equator. You can see them swimming smoothly past you if you snorkel or dive near Islas Fernandina and Isabel. The Galapagos penguin is also the smallest of any warm weather penguins, with the average adult standing only 16 to 18 inches tall and weighing only 5 pounds.
A Galapagos penguins diet consists of mostly small fish and sardines. They wait on the ocean currents to bring fish to their feeding grounds. Severe weather from El Nino caused an extreme shortage of food around the years 1982 and 1983, and approximately 70% of the Galapagos penguin species died. Their population has increased since then, but this species is still endangered, with less than 1000 breeding pairs left in the world as of 2007.
Galapagos penguins have a relatively large bill, and a thin white stripe that runs under their chin and around their head up to the corner of the eye. They also have a black upside down horseshoe shape around their white stomach. The Galapagos penguin looks similar to the Magellanic penguin, but Galapagos penguins are smaller, and the black markings are thinner on their belly.
The Galapagos penguins mate for life. They nest in burrows or caves and crevaces, and the female usually lays two eggs. Unlike other species of penguin, the Galapagos penguin has no particular breeding season. This allows them to take advantage of times when food is abundant, because they only mate when there is plenty of food, and in their habitat they have to deal with an ever changing and unreliable food resource. Galapagos Penguins stay close to their breeding islands throughout the entire year, unlike the emperor penguin which travels many many miles each season.
Most of the time only one baby penguin is raised. Both the male and female parent penguins take care of the eggs for 38 to 40 days, and both father and mother share in the responsibility of taking care of the chicks. The chick is watched closely and guarded for approximately 30 days after it hatches out of it's egg. At about 60 to 65 days after hatching, the chick will begin to moult and get its adult plumage (feathers). After that, they can start being independent and take care of themselves.
One of the primary obstacles for a Galapagos penguin is how to stay cool in a warm climate. The weather near the equator sometimes reaches over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime. So how does the penguin keep cool? They make their schedule where they are usually swimming and hunting for food in the cold water from the Cromwell Current during the hottest parts of the day, and during the nights they sleep and nest on the land, when the sun isn't out.