Punta Tombo facts for kids
Punta Tombo is a special place on a peninsula that stretches into the Atlantic Ocean. It's located about 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Trelew in Chubut Province, Argentina. This area is famous for having the biggest colony of Magellanic penguins in all of Argentina! It's also just a short distance north of a town called Camarones.
A Protected Natural Area
The Punta Tombo Provincial Reserve is a protected area covering about 2.1 square kilometers (0.81 square miles). It has been kept safe since 1979 by a special rule from the local government. This reserve is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Chubut. Punta Tombo is also part of a newer marine national park located in the Golfo San Jorge.
The peninsula itself is about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) long and 600 meters (2,000 feet) wide. Its ground is made up of sand, clay, and gravel.
You can see many different kinds of animals here. Besides the huge colony of Magellanic penguins, there are other seabirds like gulls and cormorants. You might also spot rheas (large birds similar to ostriches) and guanacos (animals related to llamas).
A long time ago, in the 1800s, British sailors used to call Punta Tombo "Tombas."
The Amazing Magellanic Penguin Colony
The Magellanic penguin colony at Punta Tombo is a very important place for these birds. Sometimes, the penguins face challenges like not enough fish to eat or oil spills in the ocean. For example, in August 1991, a big oil spill happened. It sadly caused the deaths of at least 16,000 Magellanic penguins. Many of these birds were found covered in oil at Punta Tombo. This happened when the penguins were traveling to their breeding grounds. Scientists believe even more penguins died out at sea.
In 1982, there were over 1,000,000 penguins living in this colony! However, between 1994 and 1995, the number of penguins dropped by 37%. By 1999, the colony had about 400,000 birds. But don't worry, the penguin population has grown again! In 2017, more than a million birds were living in the colony once more.
See Also
- Punta Ninfas
- Península Valdés
