Southern rockhopper penguin
FACTS
- VUSTATUS 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.