Magellanic Penguins Hatch at The Aquarium of the Pacific

2013-07-31 ·  By  Editor

Photo by Robin Riggs

The Aquarium of the Pacific is announcing the birth of two Magellanic penguin chicks. The penguins hatched at the Aquarium to first-time parents Floyd and Roxy, residents of the Aquarium’s June Keyes Penguin Habitat. The one-month-old chicks are currently being cared for behind the scenes at the Aquarium and will be on public view when they join the other birds in the penguin habitat later this summer. In the meantime, the chicks can be seen via webcam from the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website. The Penguin Cam is courtesy of explore.org, the philanthropic multimedia arm of the Annenberg Foundation.


Magellanic penguins are a temperate species native to the coasts of Argentina and Chile in South America. It takes between 38 and 43 days of incubation before a Magellanic penguin egg will hatch. The chicks hatch with their eyes closed, and they are able to open their eyes about a week later. Magellanic penguin parents take turns incubating the eggs on the nest and feeding and raising the chicks after they hatch.

The chicks fledge, or replace their downy newborn feathers with water-tight adult feathers, after about 90 days. The Aquarium’s penguin chicks are expected to fledge in August and join their parents and the other penguins on exhibit in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat.

AQUARIUM: The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important topics facing our planet are explored by scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in search of sustainable solutions. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature’s services by building the interactions between and among peoples. Home to more than 11,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include the June Keyes Penguin Habitat, Ocean Science Center, Molina Animal Care Center, the interactive Shark Lagoon and Lorikeet Forest exhibits, and the new Wonders of the Deep exhibit. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages, from hands-on activities to lectures by leading scientists.

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