Spheniscus mendiculus
Identification.
Small (about 49cm average, up to 2.5kg), black upper body and face with a white eye-line, white underparts with a black breastband, and a donkey-like braying call.
Galápagos context.
Found primarily on Fernandina and west Isabela, tied to the cold Humboldt/Cromwell upwelling. Some colonies sit on Isabela's northern tip, technically in the Northern Hemisphere.
Encounter context.
Genuinely swims with divers and snorkelers at sites like Cabo Douglas and Bartolome - fast and agile underwater.
Seasonality.
Breeds year-round based on food availability rather than a fixed season.