Snares Island penguin Snares Island penguin
Snares Island Penguin

Scientific Classification

Common Name
Snares Island penguin
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Sphenisciformes
Family
Spheniscidae
Genus Species
Eudyptes robustus

Fast Facts

Description
Snares Island penguins have a crest of yellow plumes that extend behind the eyes. Snares Island penguins are identified from other crested species by the bare pink patch of skin at the base of their bill. Males can be larger in size than females and also have a thicker bill.
Size
up to 64 cm (25 in.)
Weight
2.5 to 3 kg (6 to 7 lbs.)
Diet
euphausiid shrimp, squids, fishes
Incubation
31 to 37 days
Sexual Maturity
6 years old
Life Span
15 to 20 years
Range
Snares Island penguins are found south of New Zealand in the Snares Islands (all within 3 sq. km).
Habitat
Nests in muddy, forested areas and on rocky slopes.
Population
Approximately 62,000 mature penguins
Status 
IUCN: Vulnerable
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed

Fun Facts

For more information about penguins, explore the Penguin InfoBook.


Ecology and Conservation

The low population number and limited breeding areas and distribution make the Snares Island penguin vulnerable to a variety of natural and human disturbances.

All 18 penguin species are legally protected from hunting and egg collecting. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 makes it illegal to harm, or in any way interfere with, a penguin or its eggs. Every penguin specimen collected with a permit must be approved by and reported to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR). Penguins are vulnerable to habitat destruction, overfishing of primary food sources, ecological disasters such as oil spills, pollution such as trash in the ocean, and human encroachment into nesting areas.


Bibliography

BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Eudyptes robustus. Downloaded from birdlife.org

Coats, Judith. Penguins: Flightless Birds of the Southern Hemisphere. SeaWorld Education Department, 2001.

Nuzzolo, Debbie. Penguin March. SeaWorld Education Department, 2002.

Photo Credit: Snares_Penguin_(Eudyptes_robustus)_-group.jpg. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Image by: lin padgham. Year Created: 13 January 2007. Website: Snares_Penguin_(Eudyptes_robustus)_-group. License: CC by SA 2.0.