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When you look at a rockhopper penguin, the first things you probably notice are its yellow crests - a trait they share with other crested penguins, like Macaroni and Snare's penguins. Clearly, having a fly hairstyle matters in the penguin world -but why?

The African penguin might be the only penguin on the African continent, but they are not the only penguins in South Africa. That is because South Africa also includes the Prince Edward Islands, technically a part of the Western Cape, although being almost 2 000km away from Cape Town. These islands, which include the better-known Marion Island, are home to South Africa’s “other” penguins. Let’s meet them

Getting breakfast, lunch and dinner ready for a colony of hungry African penguins is no small task! In the wild, these penguins would spend the majority of their day hunting and it's important that they get the same levels of consistent nutrition while they are at the Aquarium.

When we think about "threats to penguins" it's natural to first think of sharks, seals and orcas, and maybe pollution. Disease and parasites are equally significant threats - especially as humans are altering the habitats of penguins and exposing them to more risks than ever before.

South Africans famously recognise the penguins of Boulders Beach - but did you know that is a new colony and not the original home of the African penguin? Today there are only 28 African penguin colonies, let's take a closer look:

Standing amidst the variety of life on display in the Skretting Diversity Gallery, it's easy to forget that all these organisms are part of a food web - even the weird ones. We might not think that penguins fall into that "weird" category, but these little hunters are not squeamish when it comes to food. Let's see what's on their menu. Humans like to eat the same calorie-rich foods that penguins do. When we overfish the species that penguins rely on, they need to swim farther to eat food that contains fewer nutrients. For African penguins and other species with semi-fixed colonies, this means that adults are unable to eat enough to provide enough energy to feed both themselves and their young. The result - an ecological trap that leads to the abandonment of chicks and a decline of endangered penguins.

Penguin Experiences are back! That means you get to take your relationship with penguins to the next level! This is a unique chance to get face-to-face with the wonderful rockhopper penguins of the Two Oceans Aquarium in a private setting, and learn a bit more about these quirky little ocean ambassadors - let's take a look at what your Penguin Experience day entails:

It's a triple African penguin birthday week (and it's doubly cute, because they're family)! Peri and Annuli turned 7 yesterday (18 Feb) and Quinn turns 7 tomorrow (20 Feb). Triple 7's - that's a lucky sign!

So, what did barnacles do? Well, as you can see from the image above - if you can't go to your mate, you to need to grow a penis long enough to reach them! In fact, barnacles have the longest penis-to-body size ratio of any animal. But, as any barnacle will tell you, length isn't everything. Longer barnacle willies have a chance of being ripped off by strong currents, so barnacles in more turbulent waters, such as the intertidal zone, generally have shorter and thicker penises. Even though they can't reach as many mates, their risk of failure is lower. In other words, it's not about the size of the barnacle penis, it's about how they use it.

Here's an amazing opportunity for little ocean-lovers, aged 6 to 8, to have fun and learn about the ocean online. Kids can join the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation for the fun and insightful Ocean Funatics Course from 8 to 12 March 2021, and learn all about their favourite sea animals - from crabs to turtles!Three of the Foundation's experienced teachers will offer a new topic every day - "Life in the rock pools", "Animal houses", "Tortoises and sea turtles", "Sharks" and "Wild animals and camouflage" - this sounds so much fun! Space is limited to 20 children so that lessons can remain live and interactive, and be more personal. Find full course details here.

Today's microscopic marvel - Spongebob Squarepants? Nope, it's the hairy tube sponge! Hairy tube sponges (Sycon spp.) belong to the phylum Porifera, which means "pore bearer" in Latin. Porifera are one of the major groupings of Animalia (that's right, they are animals), and they are actually the oldest group of animals, branching off the Tree of Life even earlier than jellies.