Name: Rockhopper penguin, Moseley's penguin
Scientific Name: Eudyptes chrysocome (Forster, 1781)
Family: Spheniscidae
Group: Birds
Class: Birds
Size: 51-100 cm.
These penguins differ from macaroni penguins in that their crests, coloured yellow, do not meet in front of their eyes. Every year in October they return to the steep slopes where they nest. Here, access to enter the pounding surf is difficult and demands dexterity to jump across the rocks. The rockhopper penguins lay 2 eggs, but the parents incubate only the second. Afterwards, the female goes hunting for food alone, while the male takes care of the chick until it has grown enough to be able to stay alone in ‘crèches' with other chicks of the colony. After two and a half months, the chicks are ready to venture out to sea with the adults.
Photo by:
Abílio Leitão
Antarctic
