Curious Penguin Crashes Man’s Bodyboarding Session in South Africa Like a Total Pro
A bodyboarder in South Africa got quite a surprise recently when a curious penguin decided that it wanted to try out his board. Daily Mail posted the video on Friday, June 21st, and you've got to see it to believe it! The event happened in May, and it's been making the rounds on social media recently. People can't get enough of it!
The video shows the bodyboarder holding on to his board with an African penguin already standing on top of it. The man is smiling, and the penguin is checking out the scene from on top of the board. In the caption the bodyboarder said, "I experienced a truly unforgettable moment. He was so friendly, curious, and simply wanted to play on my bodyboard. I'll never forget this!"
This would be such a cool experience! I'm jealous that nothing like this has ever happened to me! Daily Mail commenters all agreed that this might be the real-life main character Cody Maverick from the movie, Surfs Up, like @tharealyaya said, "This MIGHT be Cody!" Several people agreed with @tazziemick who pointed out, "Did you ever think if he’s jumping up there, what’s chasing him?? Just a thought."
Related: Woman Wins Australia Surf Competition After Riding Wave With a Pod of Dolphins
More About the Bodyboarding Penguin
The New York Post shared more about the bodyboarder's once in a lifetime experience, "Aden Kleve was teaching bodyboarding lessons at Witsand Beach in Cape Town in May when the bird fearlessly climbed on and started hanging six." They went on to add, "The penguin proved to be a quick learner and rode a large wave with ease — as the man filming the video shouted in disbelief."
African penguins like the one in the video are found only in South Africa. Wikipedia says, "The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters." They feed primarily on fish, squid, and octopus, and are considered pursuit divers...they like to chase their food.
Adults weigh an average of 4.9–7.7 pounds and are 24–28 inches tall. They also have distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes and a black facial mask. And like their cold-water relatives, their black and white tuxedo coloring does more than just make them look dapper. The colors act as camouflage and help them hide from predators like seals and sharks. When they are swimming, if you look at them from above, their black backs blend into the dark ocean water. If you look at them from below, their white bellies match the bright surface.
A to Z Animals shared that these penguins are listed as endangered. "African penguins are currently listed as Endangered. Since 1900, when they were first counted, their population has declined by about 99%. According to some scientists, if things don’t change, African penguins will be extinct by 2026. African penguins are particularly important because they’re what’s known as an indicator species. In scientific terms, that means that scientists can make confident extrapolations about the overall health of our marine ecosystems based on how well African penguins are, or aren’t, doing. Today, African penguins have become rare, and will certainly become extinct in the wild if a Biodiversity Management Plan is not devised for them soon." Knowing this, that makes Kleve's experience with the curious penguin even more exciting. He's lucky to have met the penguin!
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