This article is from: China Economic Net
Source: Economic Daily
Speaking of penguins, you probably think of the icy Antarctic. In fact, enthusiastic Africa also has native penguins.
The scientific name of the African penguin is “black-footed penguin”. It is only 60 cm to 70 cm tall when it is an adult. It looks like a toddler and walks naively. However, their voices are not small, and they often make thick and loud calls. The penetrating power is comparable to that of a donkey. Therefore, they are also dubbed “Jack Penguin” by the local residents who can’t be bothered.
This colony of little penguins lives on the southwest coast of the African continent, with their greatest concentration in the town of Simon, near the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Although there are also penguins in other parts of South Africa and neighbouring Namibia, they are mostly sporadic and not in formation, and they are only seen in large groups at Penguin Beach in Simon’s Town.
Why do penguins survive in Africa? In fact, the vast African continent has a variety of climates, and not all places are hot and dry. The area where African penguins live has a Mediterranean climate, which is mild and comfortable throughout the year, with a maximum temperature of less than 20 degrees Celsius in summer. What’s more, African penguins live on the beach by the sea and can jump into the sea at any time to “relieve the heat”.
And, the water here is very special. The Benguela Current flows through the waters off southwestern Africa, bringing the icy waters of Antarctica. At the same time, the rising and compensatory current of the Benguela cold current brings nutrients from the bottom to the sea surface, forming a natural environment conducive to fisheries and enriching the “table” of African penguins. The shallow-water fish such as sardines and anchovies here provide sufficient supply for penguins. nutrition.
Special body structures are also important. If you look closely, African penguins appear to be wearing pink “eyeshadow”, which are glands used to regulate their body temperature. When the penguin’s body temperature rises, more blood flows through the glands above the eyes, using air flow to help cool the body, and the color of the “eye shadow” will be more vivid.
According to experts’ research, African penguins are called “model couples”. Before the baby penguin is born, the parents will divide the labor to complete the 40-day incubation. When one penguin hatches, the other will go to the sea for food, eat and drink enough, and then “change shifts”.
Although the living environment and physical quality of African penguins are not bad, due to the impact of human activities such as fishing and oil spills from cargo ships, the number of African penguins has dropped sharply and is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. species. In recent years, the South African government has decided to reduce fishing in and around penguin habitats, prohibit cargo ships from passing or mooring in nearby waters, and build new protected areas in areas with sufficient food to provide a safe living environment for penguins.
In order to protect these cute little guys, South African residents have also taken great care.
Since the first sighting of penguins in 1982, Simon’s Town residents have taken their own initiative to protect them. Later, the authorities incorporated Simon’s Town’s Penguin Beach into Cape Town’s Table Mountain National Park, and not only established a special reserve for penguins to breed, but also nested penguins on slopes and even in nearby gardens of seaside houses.
A special viewing area has also been set up locally. A long corridor was built with wooden planks to go deep into the beach where the penguins live, allowing tourists to watch the penguins up close and try to avoid disturbing the penguins laying eggs and resting. This boardwalk is overhead on the beach, and penguins can pass through the hollow part under the feet of tourists without any obstacles, whether they are swimming in the sea, surfing, or hunting for food and homing. Tickets and tourism-related income from scenic spots are also used to maintain and improve the living environment of penguins.
Generally speaking, African penguins live in protected areas in a “safe and secure way”. However, during the new crown pneumonia epidemic, due to the sharp decline in tourists, some daring penguins have begun to try to drag their families and go to the less-traveled seaside streets. In the parking lot near the coast, the reserve has also set up special warning signs to remind drivers to check for little penguins under the car before starting the car.
Before the outbreak, Simon’s Town was always full of tourists and bustling, which actually caused some trouble to the penguins’ lives. Many adult penguins don’t want to be “forced to operate” on the beach, so they swim in the sea all day to fish and play, and then go ashore to feed the little penguins at night. After the outbreak, Simon’s Town was much cleaner. The number of penguins coming ashore to feed the little penguins increased significantly during the day, and the little penguins grew stronger.
The changes in the living conditions of the little penguins are the result of people’s increasing attention to the protection of the environment and biodiversity. Because of the outbreak of the epidemic, this process has been greatly accelerated. If there is no conscious protection by humans, the little penguins in Africa may have been extinct on the earth like many other species. If there are no protected areas specially set up by humans, it may be difficult for the little guys to establish a sense of security, and they will not have the courage to “explore” the places where humans live in just a few years after the outbreak. . This sense of security, like the environment that has received increasing attention, is also the proper meaning of the community of human and natural life.