Module 7
King, Rockhopper & Others
Beyond the emperor focus of M1–M2, 17 other penguin species distribute across the Southern Hemisphere from sub-Antarctic islands to tropical Galápagos. This module profiles the most important: king, rockhopper, macaroni, Adélie, chinstrap, gentoo, African, and yellow-eyed.
1. King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Smaller cousin of the emperor (~13 kg). Breeds on sub-Antarctic islands (South Georgia, Crozet, Kerguelen, Macquarie). Notable for a 3-year breeding cycle: the long chick-rearing period means only two breeding attempts per three years. Total population ~3.2 million pairs; the world’s largest seabird colonies (Saint Andrews Bay, South Georgia) host hundreds of thousands.
2. Adélie, Chinstrap, Gentoo
Pygoscelis penguins are the mid-sized colonial Antarctic species. Adélies breed on ice-free coast during Antarctic summer; chinstraps colonise pack-ice margins; gentoos are the deepest-diving Pygoscelis. All three face shifting krill availability as climate changes — Adélie and chinstrap populations have declined 30–80% in the Antarctic Peninsula region since 1980, while gentoo populations are expanding south (Ducklow 2007).
3. Crested Penguins (Eudyptes)
Macaroni, rockhopper, royal, Fiordland, Snares, and erect-crested penguins share bright yellow-orange supraorbital crests and a sub-Antarctic distribution. Macaroni penguins are the most abundant penguin species by population — ~12.6 million pairs. Rockhoppers nest on rocky cliffs; royal penguins are restricted to Macquarie Island. Several crested species are IUCN Vulnerable or Endangered due to fisheries bycatch and island predation.
Simulation: Population Status
Click Run to execute the Python code
Code will be executed with Python 3 on the server
4. Temperate & Tropical Species
African, Humboldt, Magellanic and Galápagos penguins occupy equatorial-to- temperate coasts, with range extending as far north as the equator. Counter- intuitive for a clade associated with cold, these tropical species rely on cool upwelling currents (Benguela, Humboldt, Cromwell). Collapse of the anchoveta fishery or El Niño events cause sharp population declines. Yellow-eyed penguins, restricted to New Zealand, are arguably the rarest penguin species (~2 000 pairs) and face ongoing disease and introduced-predator pressure.
Key References
• Ducklow, H. W. et al. (2007). “Marine pelagic ecosystems: the West Antarctic Peninsula.” Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 362, 67–94.
• Jenouvrier, S. et al. (2014). “Projected continent-wide declines of the emperor penguin under climate change.” Nat. Clim. Change, 4, 715–718.
• Williams, T. D. (1995). The Penguins: Spheniscidae. Oxford UP.
• Trathan, P. N. et al. (2015). “Pollution, habitat loss, fishing, and climate change as critical threats to penguins.” Conserv. Biol., 29, 31–41.