Cape Town, South AfricaIt’s a balmy July morning, and a raucous troupe of African penguins is acting out their breeding drama on a sun-toasted Foxy Beach, in False Bay, outside Cape Town: Stage right, a courting pair necks coyly, beaks snipping like a barber’s shears. Nearby, another couple puts the last touches to their shallow nest, adding bits of washed-up kelp that are as dry as beef jerky. Two soon-to-be parents fuss over their egg, while a neighboring chick squawks fiercely for breakfast. Over there is a gangly teenager, as tall as its parents, though its fuzzy blue-gray down is a reminder that this youngster isn’t quite ready to launch into the chilly Atlantic to forage for itself.

Katrin Ludynia, research manager for the