Southern rockhopper penguin
Amazing fact
Southern rockhopper penguins hide their heads under their wings while resting.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
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Southern rockhopper penguins hide their heads under their wings while resting.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Southern rockhopper penguin
- Scientific name
- Eudyptes chrysocome
- Japanese name
- ミナミイワトビペンギン（イワトビペンギン）
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Eudyptes
Outside the breeding season it lives at sea; to breed, it gathers in colonies on islands such as those at the southern tip of South America.
Bright yellow feathers grow above its eyes and extend along the sides of its head. Its back is bluish black and its belly is white.
Most penguins waddle from side to side, but this one hops with both feet together, jumping from rock to rock.
How the Southern rockhopper penguin lives
It makes daily trips to the sea to find food. It mainly eats krill, as well as squid and other prey. Outside the breeding season, males and females spend time in separate areas of the sea.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web葛西臨海水族園Basic data
- Size
- 57–65 cm葛西臨海水族園
- Weight
- 3.5–4 kg葛西臨海水族園
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Small fish, squid, and other foods葛西臨海水族園
- Range
- Islands around Antarctica葛西臨海水族園
Where the Southern rockhopper 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
- 简体中文
- 凤头黄眉企鹅
- 繁體中文
- 鳯頭黃眉企鵝
- 한국어
- 남부바위뛰기펭귄
- Español
- Pingüino penacho amarillo
- Français
- Gorfou sauteur
- Deutsch
- Felsenpinguin
- Português (Brasil)
- Pinguim-de-penacho-amarelo
- Italiano
- Pinguino saltarocce
- العربية
- بطريق نطاط الصخور الجنوبي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Penguin pelompat-batu selatan
- Русский
- Хохлатый пингвин
- Türkçe
- Zıplar Penguen
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 — ミナミイワトビペンギンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Eudyptes chrysocomeChecked: 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 Southern rockhopper penguin, look for this
- Look for the spiky black feathers on top of its head.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Southern rockhopper penguin
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
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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