Meeting Abstract

3.11  Jan. 4  First experimental evidence demonstrating that African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) have a functioning sense of smell CUNNINGHAM, Gregory B.*; STRAUSS, Venessa; RYAN, Peter G.; Univ. of Cape Town/Swarthmore College; South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds; Univ. of Cape Town gcunnin1@swarthmore.edu

Procellariiform seabirds (albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters) have received much of the focus when studying avian olfaction. These birds are known to be attracted to a variety of food, and food-related, odors at sea. Penguins, however, are subject to similar types of environmental pressures while foraging, and have to locate patches of small prey items in an immense ocean. To date, few researchers have investigated whether penguins may use odors when foraging. Using a Y-maze we investigated the responses of captive African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) at a rehabilitation center to dimethyl sulfide (DMS), an odor that is associated with primary productivity and shown previously to be used by procellariiforms as a foraging aid. We also investigated how wild penguins at Robben Island, South Africa, responded to odors deployed along walking paths in their colony. Our experiments revealed that African penguins can detect and orient to DMS at biologically relevant concentrations. Thus, similar to procellariforms, penguins might use DMS as an olfactory cue to locate productive areas of the ocean where they subsequently forage for individual prey items via diving. Moreover, this study provides the first experimental evidence for a functioning sense of smell in a penguin.