Meet the Penguins at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Most of you know Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, four cute penguins living in the Central Park Zoo, who were made famous by Dreamwork’s Madagascar movie in 2008. These penguins have created quite a name for themselves and they even have their own show on Nick.


Cute and cuddly…that's exactly what they want people to think. Why? Because this 4-some of placid-looking penguins are actually an elite strike force with unmatched commando skills and a secret headquarters. Their mission? To maintain order in the zoo!

We have our own elite force at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! Instead of just 4, we have 11 “cute and cuddly” African penguins that can be seen daily in the Aquatics building.

Roxanna Breitigan, Animal Care Manager and our own African Penguin Quarters for Conservation champion, called these little guys “the ultimate hoarders” at the Zoo.



Sobe, male, 12 years old
Sprocket, male, 12 years old
Murphy, female, 16 years old
Jess, female, 30 years old
Mogley, female, 10 years old
Fudge, female, 24 years old
Colorado, male, 17 years old
Sally, female, 10 years old
Decker, female, 12 years old
Tasselhoff, male, 10 years old
Joe, male, 12 years old



They all have different personalities and behaviors, but the keepers and staff tell them apart by the colored bands that are on each penguin’s leg.

Size: 23-25 inches tall; 5-9 pounds
Diet: Small fishes, such as pilchard, anchovies, horse mackerel and sardines
Range: Africa’s coastal waters and islands, from Namibia through South Africa

Habitat
The Southern coast of Africa is where you will find the majority of the African Penguins. There are 24 known colonies of them around this continent. There is no place else on Earth where this species of penguin is found in the wild.

Predators
Sharks and fur seals hunt penguins in the water. Seagulls, mongoose and cats prey on nesting penguins and their offspring.
Due to the unique patterns of black and white, the African Penguin is less likely to be found by predators in the water during their own hunting efforts. The dark back makes it difficult for birds of prey to see them from above while they are swimming, and the white underbelly prevents water predators from easily seeing them from below.

Relatives
There are 18 penguin species. African penguins are closely related to the Humboldt, Galapagos and Magellanic penguins.

Reproduction
The African Penguin do not have a set breeding season, however, the majority of their breeding takes place in early February.

Family Life
African penguins breed in huge, noisy colonies. They lay two eggs in
burrows, bowl-shaped depressions dug in the sand, which protect the eggs from
the sun. Like all penguins, they form tight pair bonds, and both parents incubate
the eggs and feed the chicks for 2-4 months.

Vocalization
African penguins are also known as jackass penguins, because they make a
sound that is very similar to a donkey's bray. They make this sound in order to interact and communicate with other members of their colony. Watch a video below of our penguins vocalizing.




African Penguin Conservation
African penguins are in danger of extinction. Major reasons include depletion of their food from overfishing, climate change and pollution from incidences such as oil spills.

The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) works to protect and rehabilitate South Africa’s seabird populations. Quarters for Conservation funds support their efforts to rescue, hand raise and release orphaned and abandoned chicks back into the wild. Learn more at www.Sanccob.co.za.

It is estimated that the African Penguin can live 10-15 years in the wild (they can live up to 30 years old in captivity). This isn’t very long given that they don’t mature sexually until they are from 2-4 years of age. In the past 35 years the number of them has dropped from 1.5 million to less than 150,000.

In Africa, the eggs from these penguins are a very common source of food. Due to many people living in poverty in this area there aren’t any controlled efforts or laws prohibiting it. As a result many of the eggs are removed before they have the chance for the young to develop.

Another problem is that their natural habitat continues to be destroyed. More than 19,000 of these penguins were killed due to an oil spill in 2000.

Do You Love Our Penguins?
Get involved by voting for Penguins in our Quarters for Conservation every time you come to the Zoo. You can also adopt a penguin at the Zoo!

You and your family can also do an animal encounter with the penguins and meet them one-on-one, up-close and personal!