Penguin Babies
by Marcy Wielfaert
Title
Penguin Babies
Artist
Marcy Wielfaert
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A thrill for me came when visiting South Africa recently, and we went to Boulders Beach, home to a large colony of African penguins. These entertaining creatures make this beach their year round home and have become quite a tourist attraction for the area. I find these birds endearing, and it was a great pleasure to spend about 45 minutes with them on a beautiful fall afternoon. This is one of just a few shots I took of the baby penquins. I was surprised to see how big they are and with their size, how far removed they are from looking like the adults. Our guide told us that once they hatch, these babies grow very fast but remain fuzzy like this with a brown coloring. The babies fledge at 60 - 100 days, leaving the colony and going out to sea for a period of 1-2 years. They return to the natal colony when it is molting time, and this is when their fuzzy look turns into feathers and they officially take on the look of an adult penguin. As the molting process takes place, their new feathers are not waterproof, making it impossible for them to go into the water for food. During this period, which takes about three weeks, they must fast. When the feathers are fully in and waterproof, they are able to take on the life and habits of an adult penguin. They will spend most of their time at sea, until it is time to lay their eggs. Females remain fertile for a period of ten years and normally lay 1-2 eggs at a time.
Uploaded
June 4th, 2019
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Viewed 1,624 Times - Last Visitor from Seattle, WA on 03/28/2024 at 3:53 PM
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Comments (1)
William Tasker
How awesome! Great image! I enjoyed seeing this fine image and with the naming of the species, it is now featured on the home page of Wild Birds Of The World - A Nature Photography Group. L/F
Marcy Wielfaert replied:
Thanks! I loved learning about these incredible birds. Nature constantly amazes me.