What do you call a penguin in Africa?
Lost!
That may be funny (if you’re a dad), but it’s not true. Penguins are, in fact, found on the south-western coast of Africa. There are colonies on 24 islands between Namibia and South Africa’s South Coast. These endangered penguins were formerly known as jackass penguins because they make a braying noise like a donkey, but are now called the African penguin.
Boulders Beach near Cape Town is their most famous colony and is one of the only places in the world where one can actually swim among penguins as they tend to explore the surrounding beaches.
A short history of Boulders
1984: A pair of penguins made a nest
1985: Two pairs nested at boulders, and bred successfully
1990: More than 50 nests were found at the colony
1997: The colony had grown to 700 breeding pairs
2002: The colony had an adult population of about 3500 penguins, with about 1100 breeding pairs
Their numbers are now diminishing as they need to travel further to find food, which means it’s a riskier endeavour. Sharks and occasionally orcas eat them, but primarily it is the seals that are their biggest predator. Land-based enemies include mongoose, genet, domestic cats and dogs – and the kelp gulls which steal their eggs and newborn chicks.
Watching them bask in the midday sun, they look like a garden of statues. Very well-dressed statues. Some have the look of a man who has stepped into the sun after a long nap and takes a moment to pause, with closed eyes, and indulge in the sun’s warm glow. Except the penguins do it for much longer than just a moment. It looks like they do it all day. 
Most stand still with their wings almost touching the floor. Quiet and seemingly content, they occasionally scratch their sides with their beaks, a few ruffle their feathers and wiggle their bodies from top to bottom like a tiny Mexican wave that ends with a flapping tale.
A salty fact: Salt glands adjacent to the skull enable penguins to avoid the buildup of excess salt obtained through feeding on fish and drinking salt water. Salt is expelled through the nostrils and they get rid of the salt content by flicking their beaks.
Like a fish in water: African Penguins might be ungainly and awkward on land, but they are superbly designed for life at sea with an ability to swim at speeds of up to 20km/hr when chasing fish.
A penguin daycare centre: Newborn chicks are covered in down, which is not waterproof. From the age of about 30 days, both parents go to sea. Youngsters that are left alone often congregate in creches, mainly for protection.
Partners for life: African Penguins generally only start breeding at about four years of age. The main breeding season starts in February. They are a monogamous species and the lifelong partners take turns to incubate their eggs and to feed their young.