# African penguin (*Spheniscus demersus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-penguin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is a bird in the penguin family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes. It is a medium-sized marine bird and an aquatic predator and carnivore, with an adult body mass of 3.13 kg and up to 3.6 kg. Each clutch holds 2 eggs, incubated for 39.5 days, with 1.5 clutches per year and sexual maturity reached at 2 years. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, is partially migratory and has a geographic range of 330,100 km².

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.13 kg – 3.6 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 60 cm – 70 cm |
| Lifespan | 11 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 39.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 23.9 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Sphenisciformes
- family: Spheniscidae
- genus: Spheniscus
- species: *Spheniscus demersus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Aptenodytes molinae*, *Diomedea chilensis*, *Diomedea demersa*

## Common questions

### Is the African penguin endangered?

Yes. The African penguin is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How heavy is an African penguin?

An adult African penguin weighs 3.13 kg, with values up to 3.6 kg reported. It falls in the medium size class.

### What does the African penguin eat?

The African penguin is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.

### How long does an African penguin live?

The African penguin has a lifespan of 11 years.

### How many eggs does an African penguin lay?

The African penguin lays 2 eggs per clutch, with 1.5 clutches per year, and the eggs are incubated for 39.5 days.

### What kind of animal is the African penguin?

The African penguin is a bird, a penguin in the family Spheniscidae and the order Sphenisciformes.

### What are other names for the African penguin?

The African penguin is also called the Cape penguin, Jackass penguin, Black-footed penguin and South African penguin.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-penguin