Where does the Gentoo penguin get its name?

In Portuguese, ‘Gentoo’ means ‘pagan’, and it was named so because the white band pattern on its head resembles a turban. Also, the scientific name for the Gentoo Penguin is ‘Pygoscelis papua’. At first glance, it may seem to be derived from the country Papua New Guinea, but in reality, it has no relation to the Gentoo Penguin. According to one theory, it is believed that this scientific name was mistakenly attached during taxidermy, resulting in such a name.

Why do Gentoo penguins live there?

Gentoo penguins breed and raise their young on various islands, including the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Peninsula.

When divided by subspecies, the Northern Gentoo Penguin mainly inhabits the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, Kerguelen Island, Heard Island, Macquarie Island, and Staten Island. The Southern Gentoo Penguin lives in the South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Sandwich Islands, and other places.

In addition, Gentoo penguins have been sighted in South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Although it is possible that they were washed ashore and not native to these areas. According to one theory, a large number of Antarctic krill live under the ice of the Antarctic Peninsula and islands. Therefore, it is believed that Gentoo penguins live near there because it is easy to eat food.

What do Gentoo penguins eat?

Gentoo penguins dive into the sea to eat small fish and Antarctic krill. In the case of chicks, they receive food that their parents have digested by mouth.

Is it true that Gentoo penguins can swim very fast?

Penguins’ swimming speed depends on the situation, but it is said to be 5-10 km/h when catching fish and 15-20 km/h when being chased by enemies. However, the Gentoo penguin can swim even faster than these numbers. The swimming speed of the Gentoo penguin is an astonishing 36 km/h! Therefore, it is the fastest swimming species among penguins.

By the way, when an Olympic athlete swims 50 meters in the crawl stroke, their speed is said to be approximately 8-9 km/h. In other words, the Gentoo penguin can swim at about 4 times the speed of an Olympic athlete.

In addition, Gentoo penguins use two different diving methods when diving into the sea. The average diving depth is 4 meters with an average diving time of 0.23 minutes for shallow dives, while for deep dives, the average diving depth is 80 meters with an average diving time of 2.5 minutes.

Is it true that Gentoo penguins propose with pebble presents?

To sum up, the details around this area are not well understood. It is true that Gentoo penguins use small stones to build their nests, and Adelie penguins and Chinstrap penguins of the same genus also use small stones to build their nests. On the Adelie penguin page, it was also introduced that “small stones are very important to penguins!”

This is because if males do not collect good small stones and make a nice nest, females will not come. However, it is unknown whether they use small stones for proposing, that is, for courtship behavior, as there is little biological evidence.

I want to know more about the personality of Gentoo Penguin!

Gentoo penguins are known for their gentle and calm temperament, so much so that they are called “Onjun penguin” in Japanese. In the case of Adelie penguins and Chinstrap penguins, which belong to the same genus, they try to confront animals that try to invade their territory head-on. However, Gentoo penguins quickly flee.

Also, Gentoo penguins, perhaps because of their laid-back nature, approach humans on their own and sometimes come close to their feet. Of course, there are individual differences, but it seems that they have the gentlest temperament among the species in the Adelie penguin genus.

Is there a place where I can see Gentoo penguins?

As of November 2021, there are many places in Japan where Gentoo penguins are kept. Here are some examples by region:

Asahiyama Zoo (Asahikawa, Hokkaido), Otaru Aquarium (Otaru, Hokkaido), Noboribetsu Marine Park NIXE (Noboribetsu, Hokkaido).

GAO Aquarium (Oga, Akita), Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium (Sendai, Miyagi).

Nasu Animal Kingdom (Nasu, Tochigi), Kamogawa Sea World (Kamogawa, Chiba), Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa (Minato, Tokyo), Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (Yokohama, Kanagawa).

Echizen Matsushima Aquarium (Sakai, Fukui), Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium (Nagoya, Aichi), Minami-Chita Beach Land (Mihama, Aichi), Toyohashi Zoo & Botanical Park Non Hoi Park (Toyohashi, Aichi).

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (Osaka), Adventure World (Shirahama, Wakayama).

Shimane Aquarium Aquas (Hamada, Shimane), Fukuyama City Zoo (Fukuyama, Hiroshima).

Noichi Zoological Park (Kochi).

Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium (Nagasaki).

For those who want to see Gentoo penguins in the wild, participating in an Antarctic cruise is another option. Although the travel cost can be high, you can apply through a travel agency.

Do Gentoo penguins have natural enemies?

The enemies of Gentoo penguins are leopard seals, southern elephant seals, and other marine mammals lurking in the sea. Also, a bird called the South Polar Skua preys on their eggs and chicks. However, humans may be the biggest threat to Gentoo penguins.

Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has designated Gentoo penguins as “least concern” for extinction. But if left unchecked, what kind of impact could they face in the future? One possibility is a decrease in food supply due to global warming.

The Antarctic krill that Gentoo penguins feed on live in the sea while eating algae that grow under sea ice. However, as the average temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula rises due to global warming, sea ice melts and the algae that krill feed on also decrease. As a result, krill cannot eat enough algae and their population decreases. This leads to a decrease in krill population which in turn affects penguins that feed on them.

Another possibility is an expansion of krill fishing. With the increase in world population, krill has been attracting attention as a new food source to avoid a possible food crisis in the future. Furthermore, since krill can also be used as feed for farmed fish, countries have started expanding their krill fishing range. However, if this happens, there is a risk that penguins will lose their food source.

In this way, recent climate change has caused phenomena that were not seen in the past. Why not take this opportunity to think together about how to build a better relationship between humans and penguins?

What is the lifespan of a Gentoo penguin?

The lifespan of Gentoo penguins, which live in a harsh natural environment, is up to approximately 21 years at most.