The African penguin or Cape penguin ( Spheniscus demersus ) is the only penguin species that lives on the African continent and is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Locals in South Africa stumbled upon a gruesome scene last Friday: dozens of African penguins lay dead on a beach, surrounded by a few dead bees. Autopsies of endangered seabirds revealed the presence of stings.
Shockingly, the colony was attacked by a swarm of bees and, upon examination, South African National Parks (SANParks) reported that up to 63 penguins died from the sting of these bees. They all had multiple bites on their bodies.
“Preliminary research suggests that the penguins died from the sting of a swarm of Cape honey bees ,” SANParks – Table Mountain National Park said in a statement. They were found along a beach in Simon’s Town, near Cape Town. They also found a single dead penguin on a beach at Fish Hoek Beach, the next town less than 6 kilometers away, with a multitude of bee stings.
The species is considered endangered and has seen its population decline rapidly in recent decades, largely due to food shortages from overfishing and climate change.
African penguins are believed to be especially vulnerable to multiple stings from Cape honey bees due to their small stature, with these creatures measuring just 60 centimeters and weighing an average of 2.2 to 3.5 kilograms. Although experts point out that this event is still unusual.
