Penguins settle in at Seal Sanctuary

Penguins settle in at Seal Sanctuary 

 

Watch Matt Pengelly's films as the Penguins make a new home with the seals: video here at source

A colony of Humboldt penguins are settling into their new home in west Cornwall, with seals for neighbors.

 These endearing creatures come from the coasts of Chile and Peru where there are estimated to be fewer than 10,000 pairs still surviving.
Their home is already well known for rescuing seals off the Cornish coast.
The National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek spent the winter building a specially designed pool for the penguins.

The Humboldt species is believed to be threatened in the wild

The attraction now boasts Cornwall's only underwater viewing gallery. It gives visitors the chance to watch the often comical creatures getting up to various antics.
The penguin is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is itself named after Alexander von Humboldt, an explorer.
In the wild Humboldts are thought to be declining in number. One of the reasons is due to El Nino increasing water temperatures and reducing food supply.
The penguins have a black head with a white border running from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, to join on the throat.
Humboldts have spines on their tongue which they use to hold their prey.
With numbers declining in the wild, the National Seal Sanctuary believes colonies like theirs may one day provide a vital lifeline for the endangered species.