Thechinstrap penguin(Pygoscelis antarcticus) is a species ofpenguinthat inhabits a variety of islands and shores in the Southern Pacific and the Antarctic Oceans. Its name stems from the narrow black band under its head, which makes it appear as if it were wearing a black helmet, making it easy to identify.[2]Other common names includeringed penguin,bearded penguin,andstonecracker penguin,due to its loud, harsh call.[3]
| Chinstrap penguin | |
|---|---|
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| Deception Island,South Shetland Islands | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | Pygoscelis |
| Species: | P. antarcticus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pygoscelis antarcticus (Forster,1781)
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| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editThis species was originally given thescientific nameAptenodytes antarcticabyJohann Reinhold Forsterin 1781, thereby placing it in the samegenusas thekingandemperorpenguins. In 1990,Graham Turbotttransferred this species into the genusPygoscelis,together with theAdélieandgentoopenguins. This gave it the new nameP. antarctica.However, this is an orthographic error due to the disagreement in Latin grammar betweenantarcticaand its assigned genus. The corrected form,P. antarcticus,is the currently accepted name for this species.[4]
Description
editThe chinstrap penguin grows to a length of 68–76 cm (27–30 in) and a weight of 3.2–5.3 kg (7.1–11.7 lb), with the weight varying with the time of year.[3]Males aregreater in weight and height than females.[5]
The adult chinstrap's flippers are black with a white edge; the inner sides of the flippers are white. The face is white extending behind the eyes, which are reddish brown; the chin and throat are white, as well, while the short bill is black. The strong legs and the webbed feet are pink. Its short, stumpy legs give it a distinct waddle when it walks. The chinstrap penguin's black back and white underside provide camouflage in the form ofcountershadingwhen viewed from above or below, helping to avoid detection by its predators.[6]
Distribution
editChinstrap penguins have a circumpolar distribution. They breed inAntarctica,Argentina,Bouvet Island,Chile,theFrench Southern Territories,andSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.Vagrant individuals have been found in New Zealand, the islands of Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha, and South Africa.[1]
Ecology
editThe diet of the chinstrap penguin consists of smallfish,krill,shrimp,andsquid,which they swim up to 80 km (50 mi) offshore each day to obtain. The chinstrap penguin's tightly packed feathers provide a waterproof coat, enabling it to swim in freezing waters. Additionally, thickblubberdeposits and intricateblood vesselsin the flippers and legs assist in the preservation of heat.[6]
The main predator of the chinstrap penguin at sea is theleopard seal(Hydrurga leptonyx). Every year, the leopard seal causes the chinstraps population to decrease by about 5% to 20%. On land, thebrown skua(Stercorarius antarcticus),south polar skua(Stercorarius maccormicki), andsouthern giant petrel(Macronectes giganteus) are the primary predators of the penguin. These three species most often prey on eggs and young chinstrap penguins. TheAntarctic fur sealis also known to occasionally kill chinstrap penguins.[7]
Behaviour
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On land, they build circular nests from stones, and lay two eggs, which are incubated by both the male and the female for shifts around 6 days each. The chicks hatch after around 37 days, and have fluffy grey backs and white fronts. The chicks stay in the nest for 20–30 days before they go to join other chicks in acrèche.Around 50–60 days old, they moult, gaining their adult feathers and go to sea.[8]
Chinstrap penguins are generally considered to be the most aggressive and ill-tempered species of penguin.[8]
Chinstrap penguins microsleep over 10,000 times a day and accomplish this in 4 second bouts of sleep. The sleep can be both bihemispheric and unihemisphericslow-wave sleep.The penguins accumulate over 11 hours of sleep for each hemisphere daily.[9]
Roy and Silo
editIn 2004, two male chinstrap penguins namedRoy and SiloinCentral Park Zoo,New York City,formed apair bondand took turns trying to "hatch" a rock, for which a keeper eventually substituted a fertile egg, and the pair subsequently hatched and raised the chick.[10]Penguins by nature hatch eggs and are social creatures. The children's bookAnd Tango Makes Threewas written based on this event.[11]
Conservation status
editIn 2018, the IUCN estimated that the population of chinstrap penguins was around 8 million specimens. Although it is believed to be decreasing overall, its population is not severely fragmented and in many sites it is increasing or stable. The species is classified asleast concernon theIUCN Red Listas of 2016, due to its large range and population, following five previous assessments of the same status from 2004 to 2012 and three assessments as "unknown" from 1988 to 2000.[1]
The chinstrap penguin is primarily threatened byclimate change.In several parts of its range, climate change decreases the abundance of krill, which likely makes reproduction less successful. For instance, a 2019 expedition to breeding grounds onElephant Islandshow a fifty percent population decline in just under fifty years.[12][13]Other potential threats include volcanic events[14]and the fishing of krill by humans.[15]
References
edit- ^abcBirdLife International (2020)."Pygoscelis antarcticus".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2020:e.T22697761A184807209.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22697761A184807209.en.Retrieved12 November2021.
- ^"Chinstrap Penguin Facts".National Geographic.Archived fromthe originalon February 18, 2019.Retrieved17 February2019.
- ^abDe Roy, Tui; Jones, Mark; Cornthwaite, Julie (2014).Penguins: The Ultimate Guide(reprint ed.).Princeton University Press.pp. 206–207.ISBN978-0691162997.Retrieved17 February2019.
- ^Commentationes Societatis Regiae Scientiarum Gottingensis3 (1780):134,141,pl.4.
- ^"Chinstrap penguins".Australian Antarctic Division.Retrieved18 February2019.
- ^ab"Chinstrap Penguin Fact Sheet".Lincoln Park Zoo. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-22.
- ^Borboroglu, Pablo Garcia; Boersma, P. D. (2015).Penguins: Natural History and Conservation(reprint ed.).University of Washington Press.pp. 52–72.ISBN978-0295999067.Retrieved18 February2019.
- ^abEllenbroek, B."Chinstrap penguin".New Zealand Birds Online.Retrieved18 February2019.
- ^Libourel, P.-A.; Lee, W. Y.; Achin, I.; Chung, H.; Kim, J.; Massot, B.; Rattenborg, N. C. (December 2023)."Nesting chinstrap penguins accrue large quantities of sleep through seconds-long microsleeps".Science.382(6674): 1026–1031.Bibcode:2023Sci...382.1026L.doi:10.1126/science.adh0771.PMID38033080.
- ^Driscoll, Emily V. (10 July 2008)."Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom".Scientific American.Retrieved22 April2012.
- ^Bone, James (27 September 2005)."Gay icon causes a flap by picking up a female".Times Online. Archived fromthe originalon January 3, 2006.Retrieved31 March2009.
- ^Stryker, Noah (2020-02-10)."Antarctica's Most Numerous Penguin Has Suffered Huge Declines, Expedition Finds".Audubon.Retrieved2020-02-11.
- ^"Chinstrap penguin colonies in Antarctica suffer '77pc decline since last survey'".ABC News.2020-02-11.Retrieved2020-03-01.
- ^Liversage, Sian (June 27, 2020)."Chinstrap Penguins: Risking Their Lives on Zavodovski Island".
- ^Strycker, Noah; Wethington, Michael; Borowicz, Alex; Forrest, Steve; Witharana, Chandi; Hart, Tom; Lynch, Heather J. (2020-11-10)."A global population assessment of the Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)".Scientific Reports.10(1): 19474.Bibcode:2020NatSR..1019474S.doi:10.1038/s41598-020-76479-3.ISSN2045-2322.PMC7655846.PMID33173126.
External links
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