Galapagos penguins, also known as Cologne penguins, Kashima ring penguins, penguins of the order Penguin family Ring penguin genus. A penguin found in the Coron Islands (Galapagos) of South America, it is the northernmost penguin and the only penguin to live near the equator. Due to the combined influence of the Peruvian Cold Current and the Cromwell Current, the environmental temperature of the Coron Islands is much lower than in other equatorial regions, which allows penguins to survive here. The number of extant populations is only about 1,000.
Galapagos penguins are also one of the smallest. The height when standing upright is only 50 cm, the fins are about 10 cm long, and the weight is 2-2.5 kg. The back is black , the abdomen is white , and there are some spots formed by black feathers. A white ring extends from the pink eye through the neck to the other side. There is a gray-black stripe running through it on the chest. The slender fin foot has a faint yellow color at the bottom. The bare skin under the fin feet and the skin around the eyes are pink with some black spots.
Galapagos penguins are true tropical penguins, with temperatures as high as 40°C and sea surface temperatures of 14-29°C. Maintaining a cool body temperature is a very difficult problem for them. They search for food in cold water during the day and use cold water to keep their bodies warm; they spend their nights on land. In hot temperatures, they will, like dogs, dissipate heat from their bodies by rapid panting, or from the ends of their bodies (feet, flippers, or the lower half of their bodies). When the weather is too hot, they usually stay in the water.