Dangers to Penguins

On land, the skua is a danger for penguins. This bird eats eggs and young chicks left unattended. Sometimes skuas work together. One separates the chick from the parent while the other moves in to grab the helpless chick.

The leopard seal is only one enemy of penguins. Orcas, also known as killer whales, eat penguins. Man creates a threat to penguins, too. Penguins used to be killed for the oil made from blubber, the layer of fat beneath the penguins' skin. Though that is now illegal, unregulated fishing depletes the waters of the fish some penguins rely upon for food. Global warming raises the temperature of the water and reduces the amount of krill in the oceans. Pollution of ocean waters destroys the habitat of penguins, too. The penguin pictured here is an African penguin covered with oil spilled from a tanker off the coast of Africa. All of this points to man as an enemy, too.