African Penguins Now On Endangered List (PHOTOS)

PHOTOS: Amazing Pics Of South African Penguins

As the World Cup wraps up in South Africa, there is one struggle in the area going largely unnoticed: the survival of the African Penguins.

Also known as the Black-footed Penguin, and previously the Jackass Penguin -- for its infamous donkey-like braying noise -- the African Penguin was recently reclassified from 'vulnerable' to 'endangered' on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List.

There are now fewer than 26,000 breeding pairs of the penguins remaining, a number that has drastically dropped by more than 80% in the last 50 years. Tragically, 600 chicks were killed last month by a sudden cold surge of weather.

Check out some photos of the endangered African Penguins below, taken July 4 in South Africa:

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot