African penguins are smaller than the giant penguins you see on TV. An adult is about as tall as a school bag standing upright. They have a black stripe across their chest and pink patches above their eyes that get pinker when they get hot - a built-in cooling system.
Boulders Beach is one of very few places in the world where humans can walk on a wooden boardwalk right past wild penguins - close enough to hear them breathing. The penguins don't seem to mind. They were here before the boardwalk, and the boardwalk was built around them.
African penguins are also nicknamed 'jackass penguins' because the noise they make sounds a lot like a donkey braying. If you stand near a colony at sunset, dozens of them call out at the same time. It is one of the noisiest birds in South Africa.
They are excellent swimmers. In water they look completely different from on land - they fly underwater with their flippers, twisting and turning to chase fish like sardines and anchovies. They can hold their breath for over two minutes at a time.