Rescued penguins to join flock at San Francisco Zoo
Awwww. (Audrey Whitmeyer-Weathers/The Chronicle)
Three years ago in Brazil, 373 Magellanic penguins searching for food became stranded hundreds of miles from their normal feeding grounds. Commercial fishing, which depletes the supply of small fish, oil pollution and climate change have all made it hard for penguins to eat in the usual places.
Six penguins deemed too weak to survive in the wild on their own were donated from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to the San Francisco Zoo, bringing its total number to 51.
The penguins will waddle into public view for the first time at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the zoo’s Penguin Island.
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Adventure Aquarium in Camden to host African Penguin Awareness Weekend
Published: Tuesday, November 01, 2011
CAMDEN — Adventure Aquarium will host African Penguin Awareness Weekend this Saturday and Sunday.In support of these adorable, flightless feathered friends, the aquarium is encouraging penguin enthusiasts to waddle on down to the Camden Waterfront this weekend — Nov. 5 and 6 — to help support some of the cutest little tux-wearing tykes on the planet.
The weekend will feature an array of “penguin-centric” activities.
African Penguin Awareness Weekend will include chances to meet an African Penguin during up-close penguin appearances and speak with biologists about these adorable sea birds, take photos with an African Penguin during one of three daily photography sessions, see and purchase penguin artwork in a gallery setting originally created by Adventure Aquarium’s African Penguins, learn more about the aquarium’s Penguin Adoption Program and purchase your very own penguin footprint to sign and display for just $1.
Adventure Aquarium is located at 1 Riverside Drive in Camden. Admission is $22.95 for adults and $17.95 for children ages 2 to 12.
For more information visit, www.adventureaquarium.com.
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Santa Barbara Zoo Penguin gets new shoe
Lucky now has an orange and black shoe with a “Jack o’ Lantern face inside Teva’s hand logo.
Adventure shoe company Teva made the shoe for the Humboldt penguin, whose leg did not develop normally.
“We couldn’t be happier to watch as Lucky adjusts to his healthier and happier life with his new shoe,” said Teva’s public relations manager Jaime Eschette. “It’s only fitting to celebrate with his first Halloween shoe to get him in the spirit for the holidays.”
Teva is also planning to make other shoes for Lucky based on holiday themes.
“These shoes may have saved Lucky’s life,” said Zoo CEO Rich Block. “Now he can, jump and swim like any other penguin, albeit a very stylish one. He’s become a favorite of our guests and our staff.”
Humboldt penguins are threatened in their native habitat along the Pacific Coast of South America from Peru to Chile, where their populations are in serious decline. The Zoo opened the Crawford Family Penguin House in June 2006 and now houses 18 individuals.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Being 5: Penguin Edition
Posted by: Nora Venne, Education
Happy 5th birthday, Zoomazium! We’re celebrating 5 years of child’s play in Zoomazium with a look this week at what it means to be 5 for humans and different animals. Then the party continues this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6, with cupcakes, live entertainment and birthday-themed activities at Zoomazium including enrichment treats for some of the zoo’s notable 5-year-old residents.
In this blog post, we spoke with penguin keepers at Woodland Park Zoo to learn more about what it is like to be 5 years old for a Humboldt penguin.
Q: Human children at age 5 are still very young and completely dependent on their families for care. Give us a brief description of what life looks like for a penguin. Is age 5 young or older for this animal?
A: Humboldt penguins are much further along in their maturity by age 5 than humans are. That’s because the average life span of a Humboldt penguin is around 20 – 25 years in the wild; 25 – 30 years in captivity. Penguins grow incredibly fast. A Humboldt penguin chick at age 40 – 60 days (when it is still on the nest) already weighs as much as its parents—about 7 pounds! At 1 year of age, young penguins lose their juvenile feathers and get in their full adult plumage complete with stripes and spots. They reach reproductive age at 2 – 3 years.
Q: For humans, kindergarten is just starting at age 5. Sometimes we go to school away from our parents and start being independent during the day. When do penguins start becoming independent from their families and how do they learn to do so?
A: Penguins begin to become independent at 70 – 90 days when a fledgling leaves the nest and is no longer dependent on its parents for food. In the wild, penguins typically spend their lifetime in the colony, however, once they are fledged and eating on their own, there is little interaction between parents and chicks.
Q: Although we are beginning to be more independent at age 5, we still must be able to tell familiar people from strangers and know where home is. How does a penguin know its family and friends from others?
A: As these birds are a social species and can live in colonies numbering in the hundreds and thousands, penguins use a few methods to identify each other. Humboldt penguins each have a series of spots and stripe patterns on their ventral side and under their flippers. Each pattern is unique to each individual, much like fingerprints on humans. Penguins also use vocalizations to communicate. It is believed that each individual penguin has its own voice unique to itself. This is another way penguin parents can distinguish their young in a crowd and vice versa.
Q: Kindergarten is also a time of learning. We learn our numbers, letters and other useful skills for life (like how to tie our shoes). What kind of skills do penguins need to learn for life and when and how do they begin learning?
A: Upon fledging (at around 70-90 days), Humboldt penguin young are led to the water where parents and members of the colony introduce them to the fundamentals of survival. These fledgling juveniles quickly learn to swim and hunt for fish such as anchovies and sardines. Though swimming and fishing are innate behaviors to penguins, exposure, practice, and repetition of these activities when they are young will be of continuing benefit to the colony as they grow older. The sooner individuals can develop these important skills, the sooner they can participate in foraging and hunting strategies and contribute to the colony. Practice makes perfect!
Q: An important step in Kindergarten is learning to share and make friends. How do penguins make friends and interact with each other?
A: Penguins, in general, are highly social creatures that typically live in groups of hundreds and even thousands. A social structure within a group develops over time and often dominant individuals are at the forefront. Competition is the name of the game when it comes to penguin survival. Adapting highly acute senses like eyesight, hearing, touch, and vocalizations (called braying) help penguins to distinguish and express who is friend or foe. Body posturing (using head, flippers, bill), though not easily interpreted by humans, is something penguins seem to use a lot to communicate. Penguins also bill fence when fighting, and a mate will tend to their partner's feathers or preen them when comfortable and relaxed.
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