Current status, analysis of census methodology, and conservation of the Galapagos Penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus

The Galápagos penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus, is a threatened species endemic to the Galápagos Islands, and one of the least studied penguins in the world. Approximately 90 percent of the popula tion of Galápagos penguins inhabits the two western-most central islands of Fernandina and Isabela, which coincide with the main path of the Cromwell Current. This eastward-flowing undercurrent upwells as it meets the western edge of the archipelago, lowering the surface temperature by several degrees and increasing the productivity in the surroundingwaters (Houvenaghel1978). Since 1970 the population of Galápagos penguins has been monitored via partial