Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012
The first of the five infants hatched Jan. 9, with brothers or sisters -- officials are not sure of their genders yet -- following on Jan. 13, 14, 15 and 17.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney helped zoo officials introduce the eldest and youngest chicks at a news conference at 10 a.m. at the zoo.
Mahoney, granted the privilege of naming the youngest, dubbed it "Cocotea" after a penguin colony in Peru. The bird is to be called Coco for short.
"Oh, my goodness," Mahoney cooed as she held the fuzzy gray baby against her blouse. She wore pink, Mahoney said, in hope the chick would prove to be a girl.
The hatchlings' gender can only be told through DNA testing. Zoo officials sent blood samples from the birds' eggs to a lab and expect to learn the result by the end of the week, zoo Director Ted Fox said.
The public will get a chance to name the eldest chick. Suggestions can be e-mailed to contest@rosamondgiffordzoo.org. The top five suggestions will be put up for a vote on the zoo's website, www.rosamondgiffordzoo@org, between Feb 9 and Feb. 16. The winner will be announced Feb. 17.
Cocotea the penguin, also known as "Coco."
Zoo staff will name the other three, spokeswoman Lorrell Walter said.
The extended warmth in the Syracuse area the past few months allowed the zoo's colony to hang out longer at the beach at the penguin exhibit, Fox said. That resulted in earlier-than-usual courtships. The result was hatchings in January, not the usual late March, he said.
The birds' growth has been explosive. Hatching from an egg the size of a large lime, the youngest bird has grown in nine days from a little more than 3 ounces to about 13.5 ounces. In two and a half weeks, the oldest chick has grown from the same birth weight to about 2 pounds, 6 ounces. Both are being fed fish regurgitated by their parents.
Their early arrival means they should be weaned and ready to join the colony this spring, officials said.
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