Very strange to see penguins in the tropics! Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is not abundant and I saw no real colonies, but like here on the west side of Isabela I saw some clusters of individuals.
This one appears to be the parent of a near fully grown chick.
They are on a ledge with sheer cliffs above and pounding waves below, so it was a safe place from introduced and native predators. I wonder how the crabs interact with the penguis, as they were everywhere, and can be seen surrounding the penguins on this photo.
The Galapagos Penguin is endangered, and as it’s a slow breeder, setbacks to the population can be very severe in strong El Niño years.
-00 15' 34" -091 23' 16"
Last updated on 8 November 2024
