The popular African penguin known as Mr. Greedy, a fixture of the Maryland Zoo who had sired many offspring and left “an astounding 230 descendants” over five generations, has died after an age-related decline in his health, the zoo said in a statement.
He was 33 — yes, in human years. (The zoo said it had no accurate way to determine the equivalent in penguin years.) He was the oldest penguin in his colony, which the zoo said is the largest in North America.
When he was not busy reproducing or bringing joy to zoo visitors, Mr. Greedy swam hard, took care of his mate — nicknamed Ms. Greedy — and was constantly looking for things to steal.
His mischievous ability to steal nesting materials and food from others had earned him the affectionate nickname by which he was known, Jen Kottyan, the bird curator at the zoo, said in a phone interview on Saturday.
Mr. Greedy, born in 1991, had a more official, though less personable name: African penguin No. 821. The cause of death was euthanasia on Aug. 27, the zoo said.
In his long life, Mr. Greedy “made a tremendous contribution to his endangered species,” said the statement from the Maryland Zoo, which is in Baltimore.
“This one bird was incredibly important to the continued existence of African penguins throughout the world,” Ms. Kottyan said in the statement.
Mike Evitts, a spokesman for the Maryland Zoo, said there is not a definitive number for the total descendants that are expected from a single African penguin, but that Mr. Greedy’s tally is “way more than average.”
Found near islands off the Southwestern coast of Africa and on land near Cape Town, South Africa, African penguins can dive more than 400 feet underwater and can stay below the surface for two to three minutes at a time, according to Aquarium of the Pacific, a marine life conservation group and aquarium in Long Beach, Calif. The penguins are less than two and a half feet tall and are also known as Jackass Penguins, “because their raucous squawks sound like the braying of a donkey,” the conservation group said.
Over the past 20 years, the global population of African penguins has decreased by 75 percent, a decline that has come in part because of a scarcity of “prey fish” such as sardines and anchovies, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums African Penguin Species Survival Plan, which helped determine whether Mr. and Ms. Greedy were a successful match for reproduction.
“There is a real chance the birds will become extinct within 10 years,” the zoo said.
If the population continues to decline, and if zoologists are able to reduce some of the effects of climate change and overfishing, Mr. Greedy’s descendants will be a vital part of regrowing the species’ population in Africa, Ms. Kottyan said.
Mr. Greedy is survived by his lifelong mate, penguin No. 832, known as Ms. Greedy. She is now the oldest penguin at the zoo. Both birds hatched on the same year, arrived at the zoo in 1992 and have been paired together since 1994.
The average life expectancy of an African penguin is about 18 years, making Mr. and Ms. Greedy a remarkable duo, the zoo said. Ms. Kottyan said that visitors got to know the pair because their remarkable longevity and reproduction abilities were a topic at feeding time. The Greedys were also partners in crime, since she had joined him in stealing nesting materials and food from others.
When news of the beloved penguin’s death broke, many community members said they were concerned about Ms. Greedy’s well-being, Ms. Kottyan said. The zoo will monitor Ms. Greedy’s behavior and, if she is interested, may find her another male companion.
Zoos and aquariums, Ms. Kottyan acknowledged, are sometimes criticized for keeping animals in captivity. But Mr. Greedy’s life exemplifies the important role these places can play, she said. He educated people about his species, she said — and his descendants could be an integral part of its revival in the coming decades.
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