A 3 year
old male named South, swims in the Penguin Plunge exhibit at the North
Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012.
Don Bryan / Jacksonville Daily News
May 10, 2012
PINE KNOLL SHORES — Suki, Oswald, South and Sly may have been
raised in captivity, but the four African penguins are helping their
wild counterparts.
The penguins are featured in the Penguin Plunge exhibit that opens Saturday at the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, and Aquarium Director Allen Monroe said their message is one of conservation.
“They are great ambassadors for the species,” he said.
African penguins are an endangered species and face threats from pollution, oil spills, habitat loss from human development and fisheries depletion, making the conservation message a particularly fitting one for the aquarium.
“The penguins are not native to North Carolina but some of the concerns about impacts to wildlife are the same,” Monroe said.
Monroe describes the penguins as tuxedoed cartoon characters with a waddle, and while the cuteness factor may draw the visitors in, he is counting on them leaving knowing a little more about the species.
“People always think of the South Pole when they think of penguins, but only two of the 17 species live on ice,” Monroe said.
The exhibit habitat resembles southwestern Africa’s rocky coastline, the only place where these penguins live in the wild. African penguins and some other penguin species live in warm or temperate climates but feed in cold ocean currents.
African penguins can be identified by a black, horseshoe-shaped band and black spots on their chest. The average adult is about 2 feet tall and weighs 6 to 11 pounds.
The exhibit includes informational graphics and interactive displays about African penguins as well as other penguin species.
A push-button feature will play the African penguin’s unusual call, which is similar to a donkey’s bray and gives the species one of its other names, the jackass penguins. African penguins are also called black-footed penguins.
The 30,000-pound Penguin Plunge self-contained exhibit was designed by Animal Interaction Design Group of Virginia Beach and will in place at the aquarium through Sept. 30. The penguins are on loan from Six Flags in California.
Opening day festivities on Saturday will include a 9 a.m. ribbon cutting, penguin programs and an appearance by the penguin mascot, Splash. Visitors who suit up in penguin costumes or accessories or penguin-themed garb can enter a drawing for a penguin prize pack.
The N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is located five miles west of Atlantic Beach at 1 Roosevelt Rd. and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $8 for ages 13 to 61; $7 for seniors 62 and up; and $4 for children 3 to 12. There is no charge for children 2 and younger and North Carolina Aquarium Society members.
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The penguins are featured in the Penguin Plunge exhibit that opens Saturday at the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, and Aquarium Director Allen Monroe said their message is one of conservation.
“They are great ambassadors for the species,” he said.
African penguins are an endangered species and face threats from pollution, oil spills, habitat loss from human development and fisheries depletion, making the conservation message a particularly fitting one for the aquarium.
“The penguins are not native to North Carolina but some of the concerns about impacts to wildlife are the same,” Monroe said.
Monroe describes the penguins as tuxedoed cartoon characters with a waddle, and while the cuteness factor may draw the visitors in, he is counting on them leaving knowing a little more about the species.
“People always think of the South Pole when they think of penguins, but only two of the 17 species live on ice,” Monroe said.
The exhibit habitat resembles southwestern Africa’s rocky coastline, the only place where these penguins live in the wild. African penguins and some other penguin species live in warm or temperate climates but feed in cold ocean currents.
African penguins can be identified by a black, horseshoe-shaped band and black spots on their chest. The average adult is about 2 feet tall and weighs 6 to 11 pounds.
The exhibit includes informational graphics and interactive displays about African penguins as well as other penguin species.
A push-button feature will play the African penguin’s unusual call, which is similar to a donkey’s bray and gives the species one of its other names, the jackass penguins. African penguins are also called black-footed penguins.
The 30,000-pound Penguin Plunge self-contained exhibit was designed by Animal Interaction Design Group of Virginia Beach and will in place at the aquarium through Sept. 30. The penguins are on loan from Six Flags in California.
Opening day festivities on Saturday will include a 9 a.m. ribbon cutting, penguin programs and an appearance by the penguin mascot, Splash. Visitors who suit up in penguin costumes or accessories or penguin-themed garb can enter a drawing for a penguin prize pack.
The N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is located five miles west of Atlantic Beach at 1 Roosevelt Rd. and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $8 for ages 13 to 61; $7 for seniors 62 and up; and $4 for children 3 to 12. There is no charge for children 2 and younger and North Carolina Aquarium Society members.
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