Features

• According to Penguin World, about 80 percent of the African penguin's diet is made up of fish. They largely eat anchovies and pilchards, but they will also eat cephalopods and crustaceans when they can find them. Krill, which are shrimp-like invertebrates, can also form a substantial part of their diet in areas where they are available.
  
  

Geography

• The African penguin must live in a place that has both plentiful prey fish for it to hunt and the rocky shores it uses for breeding sites. The African penguin is primarily found along the cold Benguela Current, which is rich with nutrients and prey fish. Populations of African penguins are found distributed along the southern and western coasts of Africa, where their chosen prey fish are plentiful.
  
  

Traveling

• Though African penguins are non-migratory, they can travel considerable distances for food. African penguins living on the south coast can cover more than 60 miles on a hunt for food, while African penguins on the west coast can range between 18 and 40 miles for food. When they are feeding their young, they need to stay much closer to the nesting area.
  
  

Diving

• African penguins will often hesitate before they jump into the water to hunt for fish. Frequently, they will linger on shore until one bird jumps into the water--then many of the other birds on the shore will do the same. When an African penguin dives for food, it can stay submerged for about 2½ minutes, and most dives are about 90 feet in depth. On rare occasions, African penguin dives have been measured to go as deep as 400 feet.
  
  

Threats

• According to the International Penguin Conservation Work Group, African penguin populations are declining at a rate of 2 percent per year. This is due in large part to the penguins' competition with commercial fisheries and the Cape Fur Seal for the fish that they eat. They also suffer from habitat loss and predation from gulls, leopards, mongooses and gannets.