Students at St. Francis de Sales School in Lebanon recently met Kevin Bacon.
Kevin Bacon is the newest – and third – king penguin chick hatched at the Newport Aquarium in the past year.
The
first- and third-graders were attending the “All About Penguins” class
when Manager of Education Programs Dan Dunlap said the aquarium had a
public announcement regarding a new edition to the Penguin Palooza
exhibit.
Students “oohed” and “aahed” as senior biologist Dan Clady picked up the chick from his parents for his debut appearance.
“This
chick was hatched on February 7, and he’s doing really well,” explained
senior biologist Jen Hazeres, who was stationed inside the cold-penguin
exhibit with Clady to display Kevin Bacon for the students to see
following the announcement.
The baby penguin initially weighed 225 grams at birth (about half a pound) and has grown to more than 2.5 pounds (1,188 grams).
As
Hazeres explained to students about Kevin Bacon’s appearance and down
feathers, he wiggled in her arms and squawked for his parents, father
Bebe and mother Wednesday. Wednesday waddled up beside the biologist to
be near her baby.
“Someone wants me to put the chick back,” Hazeres said with a chuckle.
The “All About Penguins” program teaches concepts of classification, habitats, adaptations, behaviors and conservation.
“It
was very exciting; the students were very happy” to be a part of the
announcement, said third grade teacher Edwina Harvey. “Our social
studies curriculum for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati includes at the
third grade level to learn all about Antarctica and the animals that
live there. They learned that the penguins each have a number which
tells about that specific penguin, such as birth and parents.”
The king penguin chick’s name is a reference to the actor’s 1980 film “Friday the 13th” – the young bird’s due date.
Kevin
Bacon is the second third-generation king penguin that has hatched at
Newport Aquarium. Wednesday was the last king penguin hatched at the
aquarium in 2010, before the cold penguin exhibit was renovated and
reopened as Kroger Penguin Palooza in March 2011.
The biologists
said the successful breeding of three king penguins in less than a year
is rare. On average, only 14 king penguins have hatched annually over
the past 10 years while in captivity in zoos and aquariums in the U.S.
The Newport Aquarium is one of only 16 institutions in the country to
exhibit king penguins.
With the addition of Kevin Bacon, there are
13 king penguins, as well as chinstrap, gentoo, macaroni and rockhopper
penguins. A sixth penguin species, the African penguin, is also on
exhibit at Newport Aquarium in The Penguin House.
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