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THE world’s smallest penguin has dropped into east coast waters for a visit.

The juvenile Little Blue or ‘Fairy’ penguin was found stranded at Cape Henderson south of Haga- Haga a few weeks ago.

East London Museum principal scientist Kevin Cole said the little penguin species occurs in southern Australia and New Zealand, and was positively identified by museum ornithologis,t Dr Phil Whittington, who specialises in marine birds.

The museum recorded the length of the tiny visitor to be 30cm – the length of a ruler – and it weighs slightly more than a block of margarine at 550g.

Adults do not grow much larger than 35cm and weigh around one kilogram .

Cole said the Little Blue or Eudyptula minor was the smallest of all the world’s 18 penguin species.

“It’s half the adult size of our only endemic penguin – the African penguin. This is possibly a first recording along the South African coast for the species,” Cole said.

It was found by local resident Arina Bernstein.

Cole said the penguin was first described as Eudyptula, which is Greek for “good little diver” in the late 18th century by Reinhold Forster when he sailed on the HMS Resolution with Captain Cook.

Other unusual sea animals spotted in the area last year, include a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale at Morgan Bay in January, a Whale Shark which washed up at Christmas Rock in March, a Dwarf Minke Whale in April along the East Coast, a Subantarctic Fur Seal along East London’s Blue Bend beach in May, and, in February this year, a Southern Elephant Seal beached itself near Haga-Haga.

“Earlier this year, a young Southern Elephant Seal hauled out to moult in the same area and has now left for home down south. So within a few months, the world’s largest seal has been followed by a visit of the world’s smallest penguin,” said Cole.

Breeding colonies of the Little Blue are found throughout southern Australia and New Zealand.

It is estimated that there are approximately 500000 breeding pairs.

Cole said they nested either in burrows or rock crevices lined with plant material, with two eggs being laid. They usually mate for life, and the average life span of the Little Blue is about seven years.

“These penguins feed on fish and squid, catching most of their food with shallow dives,” Cole said.

Present threats to the species include predation by land animals – feral cats, dogs, lizards and rats – predation in the sea by sharks, seals, killer whales, and man-made hazards such as pollution, plastic, gill-net fishing, and the loss of breeding habitat.

Cole said the penguin was currently being rehabilitated on a private nature reserve.

“It won’t be available for public viewing until authorities are happy it won’t spread any diseases or have any harmful effect on any of our local species,” Cole said.