"About ten" Magellan Penguins are headed for Long Beach.
By Alysia Gray Painter
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Aquarium of the Pacific
A
caboodle of Magellan Penguins will soon call the Aquarium of the
Pacific home. The institution's first-ever penguin exhibit opens on
Thursday, May 17.
It's a
charming fact that many aquariums include water-loving fowl within their
hallowed, H20-laden halls. Really, when you think about it, several
creatures that split their time between land and sea get prominent
aquarium billing -- we're looking at you, Horseshoe Crabs -- so we
should never think of an aquarium as just a fish place.
And one of
the most famous sea/land superstars to call aquariums home? The penguin,
of course, which makes it all the more surprising that our own Aquarium of the Pacific has never had an area devoted just to those wildly popular, tuxedo-waddly wonders of the Southern Hemisphere.
Until now. The June Keyes Penguin Habitat
will debut -- or waddle, if you prefer -- at the Long Beach-based
aquarium on Thursday, May 17. "About ten" penguins will call the habitat
home, although the behind-the-scenes check-in time of each bird will
vary.
The birds are "Magellanic Penguins" and they hail from South America (they're also described as "temperate penguins).
Three things
we're liking? It's an outdoor space. There's a "crawl-in" feature that
lets a visitor feel as if they're in the exhibit (nope, you're not
really). And three? There will be "nesting areas that will recall the
burrows" of the birds. We could chat about a good burrow for the better
part of an hour. And the remaining part of the hour? Just why penguins
have that special waddle.
Viewing the June Keyes Penguin Habitat is a part of aquarium admission.
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