CRCritically Endangered
African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus
Declining
Photo: Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Habitat
Marine oceanic· majorRocky areas· majorMarine neritic· major
Conservation measures underway
Site/area protectionHabitat & natural process restorationSpecies managementSpecies recoverySpecies reintroductionAwareness & communicationsLegislation
Other threatened species in SPHENISCIDAE
Threatened in Gabon
Frequently asked questions
Why is African Penguin classified as Critically Endangered?
African Penguin is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range, per the IUCN Red List assessment recorded in the SpeciesRadar database.
Where does African Penguin live?
African Penguin occurs in Gabon, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to African Penguin?
The main threats to African Penguin are 11.1, 11.4, 4.3, and 5.4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.
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