乐生活Yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) are native to New Zealand. They were previously thought to be close relatives of small blue penguins, but molecular analysis revealed that they were closer to the genus Penguins. Like all other penguins, yellow-eyed penguins are predominantly fish.
They are distributed in South Island, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island of New Zealand. The community on the Otago Peninsula is a famous tourist hotspot, where many visitors will watch yellow-eyed penguins at close range.
Yellow-eyed penguins are one of the only two species of yellow-eyed penguins. They were previously thought to be close relatives of small blue penguins, but molecular analysis revealed that they were closer to the genus Penguins. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA proved that they were differentiated from the ancestors of the genus Penguin about 15 million years ago.
Yellow-eyed penguins are larger, with an average length of 70 centimeters and weighing about 6.23 kilograms. Their heads are pale yellow, their pupils are paler yellow, and their bodies are black. Their jaws and throats are dark brown. A yellow band connects the eyes at the back of the head. The head of the chick is gray, and there is no yellow belt, and the pupil is gray.
Yellow-eyed penguins usually nest in forests, slopes or shores, often in bays. Nests are located in New Zealand, on the southeast coast of South Island, the Strait of Fleur, Stewart Island, the Oakland Islands and Campbell Island.
Yellow-eyed penguins are an endangered species, estimated to be only about 4,000. They are one of the rarest penguins in the world. The main threats are the loss of habitat, the emergence of predators and environmental changes. They are the oldest of all existing penguins.
In November 2007, a conservation area was established on the Catalins coast to protect more than 10% of the yellow-eyed penguins.
Yellow-eyed penguins dive 20-60 meters deep for food. About 90% of the food for yellow-eyed penguins is fish, and the rest is cephalopoda. The fish they eat are New Zealand bass, red cod, single-finned plough and blue-backed herring, ranging in length from 2 to 32 centimeters. Cephalopoda accounts for about 49% of the nestling diet.
Source: wiki
