The tiny rockhopper penguin is the brightest rock star

Rockhopper penguins are small, with a body length of 55-65 cm and a weight of 2500-4500 grams. Their feathers have a scaly structure, with a wide and short rachis and narrow and dense feathers evenly distributed on the body surface, which can effectively prevent water. This feather structure not only allows them to maintain body temperature when swimming in cold sea water, but also allows them to quickly shake off water when dry, keeping their feathers dry and warm.

Although the rockhopper penguin is small in size, it is one of the most aggressive penguins. The most eye-catching thing about the rockhopper penguin is its peculiar appearance: above its sharp red eyes, there is a cluster of long yellow feathers that resemble a "cockscomb", which is unique even among the crested penguins, which can be called the "killing Matt family". Their special appearance has earned them a vivid official name - the crested yellow-browed penguin. In addition, their eyes are red, their eyebrows are bright yellow, and their feet are pink. This bright color not only adds to their beauty, but also serves as an identification function in the penguin group, facilitating communication and recognition between individuals.

Their wild and uninhibited appearance corresponds to their aggressive and ferocious personalities. When they are angry, their yellow feathers stand up, and it is most appropriate to describe them as furious. Whenever they find other creatures trying to get close to them, they will immediately attack with their sharp beaks.

Rockhopper penguins are named for their excellent jumping ability. They can easily jump over steep rocks and can jump 30 cm high in one step. This way of walking helps them to cross hillocks and pits, making them the best climbers among penguins. Their ability not only makes them easy to navigate on land, but also very flexible in water, allowing them to quickly dive into the deep sea to hunt.

Rockhopper penguins usually nest in loose rocks or caves between steep rock walls, jumping in and out with their powerful feet. They return to the same breeding area every year, and even return to the same nest, and look for the same partner to breed. During the breeding season, they gather among the rocks to build nests, and protect the nests and young penguins by pecking. At the same time, they also use high-pitched calls to mark territories, drive away predators, and attract the opposite sex.

The female penguin lays two eggs at a time, but usually only one hatches. After the chicks hatch, the female penguin goes to the feeding grounds and leaves the chicks to the care of the male penguin. The male penguin stops eating during the incubation period and relies entirely on his body's fat reserves to survive. When the female penguin returns, they switch roles, with the female taking care of the chicks while the male goes out to forage for food.

The main food of rockhopper penguins is sardines and krill, which are nutritious foods that enable them to thrive in the harsh environment of Antarctica. They usually go out to sea to forage in the early morning and evening, using their excellent diving ability to dive into tens of meters of water to hunt.

Rockhopper penguins are mostly distributed in the sub-Antarctic region, the southern tip of South America and Africa, with a total of about 7.5 million, of which the Falkland Islands alone account for about one-third. They like to live in rocky coastal canyons with shrub vegetation, close to fresh water sources. These places not only provide abundant food resources, but are also relatively hidden, providing penguins with a safe breeding ground.

Rockhopper penguins generally live in remote areas and are unlikely to be threatened by human activities. However, there are records that there were originally millions of rockhopper penguins on the main islands of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the volcanic archipelago in the South Atlantic. Early colonists "made full use of them", "stealing" eggs from their nests, using their meat as bait to catch lobsters, refining their fat, plucking their down to fill pillows, and even the feathers on their heads were not spared to decorate the local specialty tablecloths... In 1920 alone, more than 25,000 penguin eggs were taken from the nests on the main island of Tristan da Cunha, which directly led to a sharp decline in the number of rockhopper penguins in a short period of time. Today, they still take penguin eggs in places such as Nightingale Island in the archipelago, but they set a rule to take only one at a time, and in most cases it is the smaller one.

Although pollution has little impact on northern rockhopper penguins, they have been affected by several oil spills even though they are on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. On March 16, 2011, a cargo ship from Brazil to Singapore ran aground on Nightingale Island, and about 1,500 tons of fuel leaked into the sea, forming an eight-mile-long oil film. As many as 20,000 seabirds were affected, and nearby islands were also affected by this ecological disaster. Data shows that the number of rockhopper penguins has dropped rapidly and significantly in the past three decades, and they are now listed as endangered species.

References:

[1]. Deng Ruolan. Rockhopper Penguins: The “Rock Stars” of the Penguin World[J]. English Pictorial.

[2]. A little shark. Rockhopper penguins living on an isolated island - a "Penguin Kindergarten" built on a cliff [J].