Friday, April 19, 2013
From the Tennessee Aquarium blog--exciting news!
The
2013 penguin nesting season is off to a fast start. The first egg was found
yesterday in the nest of Little Debbie and Hercules.
This discovery comes two days earlier than last year. Macaroni
penguins (like Little Debbie and Hercules) typically lay two eggs, but the
first one is almost always smaller and quickly discarded by the parents.
One scientific explanation for this behavior is that the first egg may serve to
distract predators, giving the second egg a better chance at survival.
The
second egg is usually laid within two to four days after the first. That means that we could see a second egg in
the nest sometime over the weekend.
Nesting season is a
great time for penguin watching as more eggs are laid and parents begin guarding
them. We are always careful to remember that
- both in nature and in human care - each egg has a long journey ahead of
it. Inexperienced parents can be rough on eggs (and chicks) and sometimes they get
damaged or neglected for unknown reasons.
However, we are hopeful
that this year’s nesting will bring new penguin chicks and look forward to
keeping you updated throughout the season. You can also watch the penguins’
activity in real time with our Penguin Rock Cam.
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