Catching up with Penguin Chick Siblings at Adventure Aquarium

We have an (adorable) update to share today. Our African Penguin chicks who hatched back in October now have fancy new names! Everyone, meet penguin siblings Pumpkin and Patch! 

Pumpkin and Patch – Thanks to biologist Ann Marie for capturing this great shot!

Pumpkin, the older penguin, is 23 days old today; and Patch, the younger sibling,  is 18 days old. Why their festive names, you say? Well their father is the one and only Jack (as in – Jack-o-Lantern) Also, it doesn’t hurt that they were born right around Halloween!

The chicks are growing steadily. As of today, Pumpkin is weighing in at a healthy 963 grams (33 ounces) and Patch is quickly catching up at 865 grams (30 ounces). And with two big chicks in the nest, most of the time parents Jack and Diane can be found sitting just outside the nest, watching over them.

Both Pumpkin and Patch are covered in thick fluffy down and are now able to thermoregulate their body temperatures so they no longer require a parent to sit on them 24/7. Since the chicks are at the stage where they are ready to accept solid food (aka – fish!), it’s almost time for our trainers to take over the job of raising the chicks, relieving the parents of this daily duty.

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