The Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is a penguin endemic to the Galapagos Islands. It is the only penguin to live on the equator. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Humboldt Penguin. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascideiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... This article is about penguin birds. ... This article is about penguin birds. ... Species Spheniscus demersus Spheniscus mendiculus Spheniscus humboldti Spheniscus magellanicus The genus Spheniscus (Wedge-shaped) contains four species of penguins collectively known as The Banded Penguins. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Carl Jakob Sundevall (1801 - 1875) was a Swedish zoologist. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are an order of flightless birds living in the southern hemisphere. ... NASA Satellite photo of the Galápagos archipelago. ... Binomial name Spheniscus demersus (Linnaeus, 1758) The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as the Jackass Penguin (after its donkey-like braying call), is found on the south-western coast of Africa. ... Binomial name Spheniscus magellanicus (Forster, 1781) The Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil. ... Binomial name Spheniscus humboldti Meyen, 1834 The Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Peru and Chile. ...

Galápagos Penguins grow to 53 cm tall. They have a black head with a white border running from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, to join on the throat. They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with two black bands across the breast, the lower band extending down the flanks to the thigh. Juveniles differ in having a wholly dark head, greyer on side and chin, and no breast-band.

The Galápagos Penguin mates for life. It lays one or two eggs in places such as caves and crevices, where darkness will prevent the eggs from overheating. One parent will always stay with the eggs or chicks while the other is absent for several days to feed. If there is not enough food available, the nest may be abandoned.

The species is endangered, with an estimated population size of 600 pairs only. The population underwent an alarming decline of 65% since the mid-1990s which makes it the rarest penguin species (a status which is often falsely attributed to the Yellow-eyed penguin). In recent decades this species has been influenced by the effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on the availability of shoaling fish but anthropogenic factors (e.g. oil pollution, fishing bycatch and competition) also add to the ongoing demise of this species. On Isabela island, the introduced cats, dogs and rats may attack penguins and destroy their nests. The American bison numbered as few as 750 in 1890 due to extreme overhunting. ... Binomial name Megadyptes antipodes (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) The Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is a penguin found in New Zealand, on the south-east coast of South Island, Foveaux Strait and Stewart Islands, and Auckland and Campbell Islands. ... Chart of ocean surface temperature anomaly [°C] during the last strong El Niño in December 1997 El Niño and La Niña (Spanish for boy and girl, often written in English as El Nino and La Nina) are major temperature fluctuations in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ...

External link

• Galapagos penguins from the International Penguin Conservation Web Site
• Galapagos penguins pictures
• Galapagos Gallery and penguins pictures