One of the only remaining homes to the rare African penguin, Boulder’s Beach Penguin Colony allows visitors to get up close and personal with the strange, prehistoric birds that seem right at home despite their generally Antarctic reputation.  This beautiful beach is the home of over 2,000 endangered African penguins, and one of the few mainland penguin colonies in the world.

The African penguin was long known as the “Jackass penguin” due to its grating, braying chirp. However the world is apparently big enough for two varieties of penguins with the same horrible voice, and the colorful term is now used to describe a species of penguin found in South America. The Boulders Beach birds, while endangered, were actually growing as a population in the 1990s as they bred on the scenic beaches and migrated in from other nearby colonies.

However, the booming population became a public hazard as the noisy birds started tearing up gardens and annoying neighbors. The park was subsequently fenced off and made into a national park.