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Among the best known attractions of Cape Town there is certainly the penguins beach of Boulders Beach. This beach is located along the east coast of the Cape peninsula, just south of the inhabited center of Simon’s Town. The coast in this area is characterized by the alternation of large stones and small white sandy beaches. The beaches where Cape penguins are found are Boulders Beach and Foxy Beach.
Located between Simon’s Town and Cape Point, Boulders Beach is world famous for its colony of African penguins (Spheniscus Demersus) and its beautiful beaches. The beach is surrounded by a residential area and represents one of the few sites in the world where small African penguins can be observed at close range.
A RECENT PENGUIN COLONY
The colony only recently settled on the beach, starting in 1982 when two pairs of penguins chose it as a breeding place. Since then the number of penguins, thanks also to the protection they enjoy, has reached 3,000 units. The protected area is made up of small bays surrounded by granite boulders, with beaches and shrubs of indigenous scrub.
The best place to see the Cape Town penguins is especially Foxi Beach where raised wooden paths allow a close encounter with the birds.
They are white under the chest and black on the back. This is a vital form of camouflage, because white becomes difficult to see for underwater predators, while black is an effective color to hide them from the sight of predators that hunt from the sky.
African penguins (Spheniscus Demersus) nest from February until the end of August. Boulders Beach is part of the Table Mountain National Park.
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