Snares Island Penguin
or Snares Crested Penguin
Scientific Name: Eudyptes robustus
Size
Snares Island penguins can be 29 inches (73 cm) tall. They can weigh 7 pounds
(3kg).
Where are they found?
Snares Island penguins are found south of New Zealand on Snares Island.
What do they eat?
Snares Island penguins eat a variety of fish, squid and krill.
Main predator
Their main predator is the Sea-Lion which have been seen to chase penguins
along the beach and take them out to sea to eat, tearing them to bits and
discarding the bones and skin, using a technique similar to that of the
Leopard Seal.
Highlights
Snares Island penguins are one of the crested penguins.
After a winter at sea, large numbers of the penguins arrive in August to lay
eggs in September. Dense rookeries are formed among the low scrub and tussock,
along the line of creeks or waterways, up to 400 feet (120m) above sea level.
They breed in the forest or in shaded vegetation. Two eggs are laid in a
substanial nest of sticks, lined with leaves and grass; the nest mounds stand
out from a mess of filth and mud.
There are estimated to be about 23,250 pairs. They are listed as being
"vunerable" by the IUCN because of limited breeding area.
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