Southern rockhopper penguin

Facts

  • Status
    Vulnerable
  • Scientific Name
    Eudyptes chrysocome
  • Habitats
    Oceans and coasts

Much smaller in size than the emperor penguin, rockhopper penguins weigh less than 10 pounds. They were named for their distinctive hopping movements over the rocky hills and cliffs where they live and breed. In the last 30 years, it is estimated that the population of rockhoppers has fallen by nearly 25%—and now climate change could place them at even greater risk.