Humboldt penguin
Amazing fact
While molting, Humboldt penguins cannot enter the water to feed and go without food.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
While molting, Humboldt penguins cannot enter the water to feed and go without food.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Humboldt penguin
- Scientific name
- Spheniscus humboldti
- Japanese name
- フンボルトペンギン
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Spheniscus
A penguin of the dry coasts of Peru and Chile in South America, where it digs nest burrows at the base of cacti and other plants.
Its head is black, with a white stripe that wraps around the side of the head and joins at the chin. It also has a black band across its chest.
It mainly eats fish that swim in schools, such as anchovies.
How the Humboldt penguin lives
It spends much of its time in coastal waters. In some regions, it also eats pilchards and squid. It comes ashore to rest and raise its young.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- about 68 cm葛西臨海水族園
- Weight
- about 4 kg葛西臨海水族園
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Fish such as anchovies葛西臨海水族園
- Range
- Pacific coast of Peru and Chile in South America葛西臨海水族園
Where the Humboldt penguin has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- フンボルトペンギン
- 简体中文
- 汉波德企鹅
- 繁體中文
- 漢波德企鵝
- 한국어
- 훔볼트펭귄
- Español
- Pingüino de Humboldt
- Français
- Manchot de Humboldt
- Deutsch
- Humboldt-Pinguin
- Português (Brasil)
- Pinguim-de-humboldt
- Italiano
- Pinguino di Humboldt
- العربية
- بطريق هومبولت
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Penguin Humboldt
- Русский
- Пингвин Гумбольдта
- Türkçe
- Humboldt pengueni
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — フンボルトペンギンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Spheniscus humboldtiChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Humboldt penguin, look for this
- Look for it swimming with its flippers.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Humboldt penguin
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Spheniscidae
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