Seneca zoo is top breeder of penguins

The Seneca Park Zoo, which has 26 penguins, is among the top breeders of African penguins in North America. Since the zoo became part of a "Species Survival Plan" for penguins in the 1990s, 46 chicks have hatched there, including seven this year.

And more are on the way soon. One egg is expected to hatch Sunday, and a second should hatch about four days later.

A hundred years ago, more than a million African penguins roamed the Earth. That number now is about 150,000. Their decline has been brought on by factors such as overfishing, which cuts into their diet; hunting of their eggs, which are high in protein; and harvest of their guano — an exceptional fertilizer — which disturbs the penguins' breeding cycles. Oil spills also are a major threat.

Penguin particulars

The African penguin also is known as the black-footed penguin and formerly was known as the jackass penguin.

The animals' native habitat is the southwestern coast of Africa, where they live in colonies on islands between Namibia and Algoa Bay.

African penguins grow to about 2 feet high and 8 pounds. They are much smaller than the better-known Emperor penguins, which are 3½ feet tall and weigh 80 to 90 pounds.

Their main breeding season starts in February, and the incubation period is 38 to 42 days. Females lay two eggs that hatch about four days apart.

African penguins swim at an average speed of about 4½ miles per hour, with a top speed of about 12½ miles per hour.

The number of African penguins in the wild has dropped from about 1.5 million a century ago to roughly 150,000.

Source: Democrat and Chronicle