Galapagos Penguins

The volcanic islands known as the Galapagos Islands are found 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and are home to the Galapagos penguins, the only species of penguins in the world to live north of the equator. Despite the common belief that penguins only live in the Arctic, the Galapagos Islands have temperatures that vary from 70-90º Fahrenheit over the course of the year. The distribution of these birds in their environment correlates with the “Cromwell Current, which provides cold nutrient-rich surface water,” meaning that the penguins follow the cool water patterns (Davis). The penguins feed on small fish like sardines and mullet, and their predators include sharks, sea lions, hawks, and crabs. The Galapagos penguins have been adapting for
The penguins “sleep with their flippers [turned] outward . . . to prevent . . . heat from escaping their bodies” during the chilly nights (Galapagos Penguins Penguin-World). They also hold their flippers on their feet as they walk “to prevent the sunlight from burning their sensitive feet” (Galapagos Penguins Penguins-World). The Galapagos penguins are one of the smallest species of penguins, weighing in at about 5.5 pounds and only being about 20 inches tall, and they rely heavily on vocal calls for communication and mating. They live in burrows and are very social for protection from predators. The Galapagos penguins are classified as an endangered species due to El Nino and El Nina causing food supplies to drastically change each year, as well as human disturbance to their environment, such as the use of fishing nets and pollution (Galapagos Penguins EO Earth). The taxon genus of the Galapagos Penguins is Spheniscus and the taxon species is mendiculus, making the name assigned by Linnaeus’ two-part naming system called binomial nomenclature Spheniscus mendiculus. The Spheniscus mendiculus’s derived characteristics include their waterproof feathers interweaved with muscles, their black and white coloring, and their ability to survive in warm
The molecular clock indicates that about “4 million years ago . . . a small population . . . successfully arrived in the islands and established a colony” (Galápagos). The Spheniscus mendiculus can survive there based on the cold water currents called the Peruvian Coastal Current and the Cromwell countercurrent. These currents bring cold water to the area, allowing the Spheniscus mendiculus to survive there. In recent years, they have adapted to be smaller because smaller animals are more efficient in radiating heat. Because the Spheniscus mendiculus have derived these characteristics, they are the best suited to live in their