Penguins on the Equator!
A Galapagos Enigma
One of the strangest sights in the Galapagos is the penguins. Appropriately named, they are Galapagos Penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus), endemic to the Galapagos Islands. But…penguins are creatures of frigid Antarctic waters, the bottom of the world. What are they doing in the Galapagos, which straddle the equator? How did they even get there, and how do they survive? Please read on!
It’s been my lifelong dream to see penguins in the wild. As a child, I was awed by photos and stories a friend and mentor brought back from the shipboard expeditions he led to the Antarctic 50 years ago. I became fascinated with penguins, acquired numerous books about them, one even entitled “The Total Penguin.” Most relevant, though was a large poster illustrating every species of penguin in the world, prominently displayed on my walls for decades. Outside of captivity, I had never seen one. That would finally change, in a most remarkable way and location, and without having to cross the dreaded Drake Passage to Antarctica!
We visited the Galapagos in July of 2024, on a birding tour with Willy Perez of Field Guides and Galapagos guide Jairo Gusqui Lopez. In 9 days, we visited 10 islands, mostly while based on the 75-foot catamaran Nemo III. We saw penguins on two days, both swimming and on the rocks, as further described below. Isabela Island. For more about our tour and especially the fantastic Galapagos, please see our December 12, 2024 Naturelogues Substack column, titled “Finches at our Feet”!
Our first look was from our boat, of several penguins along a rocky shore as we passed by the west coast of Isabela Island. We grabbed some photos but the penguins were far. Not a truly satisfying look, but they were penguins!! The next day, though, in our panga (zodiac-type landing craft) on our way in and out of Puerto Villamil on the south side of Isabela, we enjoyed close views of penguins swimming, and penguins both laying down and standing on the rocks! Great views, nice photo ops, and wholly satisfying observations of Galapagos Penguins in the wild!
Penguins are celebrated in the Galapagos, as are nearly all things nature and conservation. To wit, this sign at Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island!
There are currently fewer than 2,000 Galapagos Penguins remaining, which are, sadly, endangered. Threats include pollution, bycatch, and climate change, along with predation and disease from introduced species including cats, rats, and dogs, which eat their eggs and young penguins. Other predators include Galapagos Hawks, Short-eared Owls, Racer snakes and sharks. El Niño weather events are also significant threats. During El Niño the trade winds weaken and warm water is pushed east, yielding unusually warm waters in the Pacific. This rise in sea temperature leads to a reduction in nutrients in the ocean. Going up the food chain, lower levels of algae, plankton and nutrients results in fewer fish, and thus fewer penguins. A major El Niño in 1982 knocked out more than three quarters of the penguins, causing adult starvation and a lack of breeding. Conversely, a La Niña cold water event results in increased upwelling, bringing cold, nutrient rich water to the surface. Such an event in 2020 brought record numbers of nesting penguins at two islands, as the colder ocean currents increased the available food supply.
So how did the penguins get to the Galapagos?
It is believed that penguins were carried north and west from southern Chile by storm or ocean currents about 4 million years ago (quite likely the Humboldt Current), and marooned in the Galapagos. There, in their new home, the penguins evolved. Over time they adapted to the warmer temperatures, losing insulating body fat that was no longer needed, and becoming smaller (Galapagos Islands.com). Galapagos Penguins are the second smallest penguin species, averaging only 5.5 pounds and up to 21 inches tall. Their thermoregulation also evolved to release heat through their webbed feet. Ultimately, they evolved to the point of becoming a separate species, streamlined and lean and suited for warmer conditions. They also thermoregulate by remaining immersed in cool water or in the shade of rocky overhangs, and by panting.
They are most closely related to Magellanic penguins of southern Chile, and more distantly to other similarly plumaged small penguins. At least several of these relatives live in burrows, but without soft peat on the Galapagos, the Galapagos penguins live and nest in caves and crevices in the lava along the coast. This habitat also provides much needed shade nesting. The same cold Humboldt current that once carried the penguins north bring north the cold-water schooling fish upon which the penguins feed. Their diet includes cold water fish such as sardines, anchovies, and mullet; penguins will also eat mollusks. This current arrives from Antarctica during the period from May to December, which is when the penguins nest. Flightless like other penguin species, they are agile swimmers, and can reach speeds up to 35 km/hr.
In the dry season, roughly July to December, the Islands are surprisingly cool. We were never hot during our mid-July despite the islands’ equatorial location. In the higher elevations, only a few thousand feet above sea level, there was a near constant mist called the garua, and we even needed a rain jacket. Even the sea level lowlands were comfortable. The water was downright cold. Some of the other passengers took the opportunity to go snorkeling, returning to the boat cold and shivering, despite wearing wet suits! Somehow the prospect of snorkeling in cold, shark-containing waters did not entice us away from a chance to photograph seabirds from the boat, go through our photos, or even actually rest!
What keeps the Galapagos so cool? Their waters and air are cold because of the currents. During this dry season, they are cooled by the Humboldt Current, flowing north from the Antarctic, and pushed by south-east winds from May to December.
We say goodbye and good night to our new penguin “friends” and fervently hope they survive as a species.
Sources and Resources:
Our fabulous guides, Willy Perez of Field Guides and Jairo Gusqui, Galapagos guide.
The captain, crew, and chef of the vessel Nemo III
Galapagosconservation.org.uk
Discoveringgalapagos.org.uk
Happygringo.com
Brittanica.com
Oceanservice.noaa.gov
https://www.galapagosislands.com
More about penguins! yay!
Great post! I had no idea there were penguins in the Galapagos Islands. Whenever I read about penguins, I think of Elayne R., who passed away a few years ago. She was really into penguins and hoped to see them one day.