Penguin Palooza

By Keren Henderson

March 29

, 2011

A baby Chinstrap penguin walks along the edge of a rock. (Jordan Smith)

A Gentoo penguin swims next to the glass in the Newport Aquarium’s newly renovated penguin exhibit. Visitors can view the animals directly in front of the glass, which measures 8-inches thick. (Jordan Smith)

Ric Urban holds a young Rockhopper penguin Thursday at the Newport Aquarium’s Penguin Palooza exhibit. The aquarium adopted six Rockhopper penguins and the same number of Inca Terns this year. (Jordan Smith)

King, Gentoo, Chinstrap and Rockhopper penguins wander the newly renovated penguin exhibit at Newport Aquarium. The exhibit now resembles the side of a glacier, which would be the penguins’ natural habitat. (Jordan Smith)

 

The new penguin exhibit at Newport Aquarium – an hour and a half drive from downtown Frankfort – is designed for children.

Yet, standing face-to-face with the four different species of funny-looking creatures, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh. I’m glad I made the drive to see the exhibit, which opened Saturday.

Never a fan of penguins before, I have to admit, after hanging out at Penguin Palooza, I am one now.
As I marveled at the 34 birds swimming and roaming around their new habitat, I noticed that birds and mammals curator Ric Urban was smiling too.

“People love penguins,” said Ric, who spends his days with the mammals. “How can you see a penguin and not smile?”

True.

As we talked about the new exhibit and the addition of Rockhopper penguins and Inca Terns (the first flying birds to join the group), Ric’s enthusiasm was catching.

The aquarium houses one of the most diverse cold-weather penguin exhibits in the country. The six Rockhoppers live up to their name as they jump from rock to rock. They’re also excellent swimmers, Ric said. At 20 inches tall, they’re a small species. They join three already there: King, Gentoo and Chinstrap.
I saw little of the Inca Terns, a small flying bird with long wings, until Ric stepped behind the exhibit glass and threw fish into the air.

“That’s not a penguin!” a child cried as one of the birds swooped from his perch to grab the fish in midair.
When the Inca Terns weren’t fast enough, the penguins made a dive for them.

What I loved most about the exhibit was that I was closer to the penguins than I have been at any other zoo or aquarium but didn’t have to suffer the smell. If you’ve ever been around penguins, you know what I’m talking about.

The area is an 8-000 gallon tank with rockwork made to look like the border of a glacier, which is where the penguins would live in the wild.

It’s beautiful with seating for 60, and shows run frequently. Visitors are separated from the birds by glass, and children run back and forth with the penguins as they swim.

Ric said visitors who had been before would appreciate how much they’ve improved the space. It’s nearly doubled in size and includes several educational and interactive stations for children.

I didn’t get to witness it while I was there, but visitors who attend later in the day will get to see the new lighting system modeled after aurora australis, the southern counterpart of northern lights.

The aquarium keeps the penguins on the Southern Hemisphere lighting cycle, which means that in the past, they’ve had to let the exhibit go dark during our day. Now, shades of blue, red and green will illuminate the birds at “night.”

“So, it will still feel like night to the penguins, but people will be able to see them,” Ric explained.
After the tour, walking past all the other aquarium attractions – including the massive shark tank, I realized why among items sold at the aquarium gift shop, penguins rank number one.
They just make you smile.

If you want to go, the aquarium is open 365 days a year from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To see everything, which includes Penguin Palooza, the cost is $22 for adults, $15 for children ages 2 through 12, and children under 2 are admitted free. To purchase tickets online, go to www.newportaquarium.com.

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