They are one of the smaller species of penguin, weighing no more than 5 pounds and measuring approximately 20 inches when fully grown.
There are two established breeding colonies in the archipelago, one on the west coast of Isabela and the other on the island of Fernandina. Smaller colonies are also found in this same generally vicinity but on other islands. The water in this area is extremely cold due to the Humboldt Current that brings in nutrient-rich, sub-surface water from the Pacific.
The Galápagos Penguins enjoy a variety of foods that they find in the waters around them, including small fish, krill, mullet, and sardines. They won’t venture very far to find food or dive very deep into the waters. Instead they stay close to the shoreline. A great place to photograph them is on the shoreline of Bartolome. If you are lucky, you can catch them feeding on schools of fish in the shallows. Although they are somewhat awkward on land, when they get in the water they are amazingly agile and very fast. If you want to photograph them, you must approach them very slowly and never swim directly at them.
Due to the colder water and warm air temperatures, the Galápagos Penguins have developed a rather interesting routine. They leave their burrows in the morning when the sun comes up. They spend most of their day eating, playing in the water, caring for their young, lazing on the shoreline and socializing with others in the colony. As the sun goes down they begin a march back to their burrows for the night. Sounds pretty much like divers on a live-aboard dive boat….unless you left the kids at home with the grandparents.
By Steve Rosenberg for ReefID.org
