Let’s celebrate African penguins!
When you think of penguins you may think of snow and ice, but African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) are actually found in temperate climates around the southernmost coast of Africa. These flightless birds have solid bones and modified wings made for swimming through the water as they hunt for food. At Georgia Aquarium, we want to celebrate our own African penguins for African Penguin Awareness Day on Saturday, October 15th! We invite you to come observe these birds in our Cold Water Quest Gallery, where you can learn more about these endangered animals and how we can work together to help conserve them for future generations.
African penguins are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List due to oil spills, habitat destruction and food shortages from fisheries. Georgia Aquarium has proudly been a conservation partner with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and an active participant in AZA’s Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program which both work to conserve animals in the wild as well as help us to gain a deeper understanding of our African penguins and how to better care for them.
To learn more about African penguins, visit our Animal Guide or watch them in real-time on our African Penguin webcam!
