By Helen TaylorSan Francisco, CA - The African Penguins at the California Academy of Sciences received a special treat on Valentine’s Day – a batch of hand-made valentines to use as nesting material. Academy staff and visitors decorated more than 100 heart-shaped valentines with messages and illustrations, which a biologist began distributing to the birds after their morning feeding. A short video clip is available on the Academy’s Facebook profile at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100295734397716&oid=19356432310&comments , and the penguins are always on view through the penguin cams at http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/penguins/.
African Penguins normally make nests by burrowing, then collecting any available material to line the bottom of the nest with. In the wild, this could include leaves, sticks, rocks and potentially any novel object the males can pick up with their beaks. The valentines offered during the week of Valentine’s Day are novel to the birds, and often solidify the permanent bonds that the couples make. The hearts are primarily collected by the males and offered to the females or placed into the nests in order to encourage the females to breed.
Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences participates in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Species Survival Program for African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), aimed at conserving this species in the wild. 108 chicks have hatched out at the Academy since 1983, as part of the institution’s involvement in the program.
To view Steinhart Aquarium's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-92-Steinhart_Aquarium
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