11 Aug, 2008

Seaforth Beach is home to South Africa's second-largest penguin colony.

On South Africa's west coast today, we have been hit by a big, deep Atlantic swell that has travelled for hundreds of kilometres to reach this shore.

To avoid the swell, we headed towards the east side of Cape Point, where there would be some protection from the relentless swell. We arrived early at a beach called Seaforth, near Simonstown.

We came to this particular beach to film the second-biggest penguin colony (Spheniscus demersus) in South Africa.

As we walked down to the beach, we could hear the penguins' distinctive braying. They were originally called jackass penguins, because the sound they make is similar to the braying of a donkey (jackass), but today they are named African penguins.

The African penguin is a flightless bird, which relies on its swimming ability to catch its prey and feed its young.

They usually head out to sea in the early morning in small groups, looking for baitfish. The fish they prey on are of the smaller variety, like herring and sardines. They locate a small shoal, circle it and feed off the stricken fish, in much the same way as dolphins do with sardines.

Penguins have about 70 feathers per square inch, which protects them from the cold water, and allows them to spend many hours out at sea searching for prey.

Each female lays two eggs, guarded by both the male and female, and each chick reaches maturity at 3-4 years of age.

– by Barry Skinstad, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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