[Field Trip Report] Experiencing the lives of Magellanic Penguins in Argentina

As of January 2025, 56 Magellanic penguins live at Sumida Aquarium. penguins born at the aquarium also live there, and a total of 27 penguins have been born since the aquarium opened in 2012. In December 2024, we visited Argentina, where Magellanic penguins breed, to gain a deeper understanding of the penguins and to better care for and promote them. In this column, we will introduce penguins breeding in the wild, along with photos we actually took there. (Exhibition and Breeding Team: Kakizaki Tomohiro and Takashima Yukari)

■Breeding season for wild Magellanic penguins <br />First, some basic information: wild Magellanic penguins live along the coasts of South America, spending about six months of the year at sea in search of food.They have their annual breeding season from early spring to summer, and each penguin spends time in a designated breeding site.

A pair of Magellanic penguins

The largest breeding ground is in Argentina. They arrive at their respective breeding grounds around September, build nests, mate, and lay two eggs. Males and females take turns raising the young, incubating the eggs for around 40 days until the chicks hatch. They then take turns hunting at sea to feed the chicks. The chicks grow to the same size as their parents in 2-3 months, when their feathers change from their young, downy appearance to that of a sub-adult bird, ready for life at sea. They then begin to leave the nest around January of the following year, departing their home breeding grounds once their parents have completed their annual molt.

Growth of Magellanic penguins(from chick to sub-adult to adult) (model: "Hanabi" at Sumida Aquarium)

■Reproduction in the wild
In December 2024, I visited two breeding sites with Associate Professor Yamamoto*1*2 of Azabu University, who has previously conducted international collaborative research in Argentina and is currently conducting research with us at the museum.

*1. The mystery of why female Magellanic penguins strand more than males has been revealed!
*2. Learn more about Magellanic penguins! ~Behavioral research using data loggers~

Punta Tombo
Punta Tombo is a nature tourist destination where you can observe wildlife while strolling along the paths of the nature reserve. The area was in the middle of breeding season, and visitors were able to observe the animals up close while maintaining social distancing.

At the gate of Punta Tombo

Social distancing notice

Tourists and penguins

animal care staff observing

At this time of year, you can see penguins building their nests late and raising their chicks here and there, and you can also see the "penguins Highway," their main roadway between the sea and their nests. Many penguins were coming and going, including bold penguins heading out to hunt, and mother penguins with plenty of food in their bellies, waddling back to their nests where their young were waiting.

Nest-building penguins carrying penguins

penguins Highway

penguins taking a rest on the beach

Peninsula Valdes: San Lorenzo
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, the Valdés Peninsula is a vast nature reserve spanning approximately 3,600 km². Primarily accessible through guided tours, this pristine area is home to a diverse range of wildlife and breathtaking landscapes. We accompanied Dr. Flavio Quintana and his research team to San Lorenzo, the world's largest Magellanic penguins rookery on the peninsula, to observe their breeding activities.

With Dr. Flavio's research team

Vast land and penguins

American rhea and penguins

Guanaco and penguins

Sheep and penguins(sheep are free-ranging)

Dr. Flavio's team monitors the behavior of hundreds of penguins nests and breeding pairs every year, studying who their breeding partners are, which nesting sites they use, their reproductive success rate, and how the parent penguins dive, feed, and engage in other activities at sea. Long-term records reveal that most pairs nest with the same partner in the same location every year, and astonishingly, one pair has returned to the same location to raise their young for an astonishing 19 years in a row. While at first glance, the pairs are indistinguishable to the human eye, each one is bound by a deep and enduring bond in this vast natural environment. penguins are known to have strong mating bonds, and this moving experience once again brought this to light.

penguins raising children

Survey status

■The harshness of nature <br />While you will be impressed by the way penguins live in the wild, you will also get a glimpse of the hardships they face.
During breeding, there is a risk of heatstroke due to the strong sunlight during the day, and even though the area has little rainfall, the occasional wind and rain can cool the young chicks' bodies and weaken them.In addition, they must always keep a close eye on their surroundings to protect their young from predators, so a nest that is not easily exposed to danger is one of the important conditions for raising children.
The parents take turns hunting every day, but the journey from the nest to the sea is several hundred meters one way, and it is not easy for penguins to walk that distance with their small strides. Most penguins seem to know how to walk efficiently by choosing the shortest route in the complex terrain, but sometimes they get lost, and the hunting itself does not always go well depending on the sea conditions, and it is not uncommon for them to run out of energy on the way home.
In this way, children who grow up receiving plenty of love from parents who have overcome many hardships will be able to confront nature on their own at an early age.

A nest like a communal home

A nest like a detached house

A true "burrow" nest

A nest that doesn't look like a home

I tried to stand at the same level, and it was amazing to see how many people don't get lost in similar scenery.

After the struggle

A penguins looking hot

Even those who have run out of strength

Can you see some robustly grown young birds (sub-adults) among them?

The sight that unfolded before my eyes was proof that the Magellanic penguins live powerfully, with strong bonds, in a harsh natural environment. I left the aquarium with the hope that the various experiences I gained from my own experience would be engraved in my heart and that the penguins living at the aquarium would live healthier lives and raise their young safely and with peace of mind.

In the next penguins column, we will introduce the penguins breeding activities at Sumida Aquarium.