Mystic Aquarium Reveals Penquin Chicks Gender on Endangered Species Day

By Anne Craig, WTNH Anchor Published: May 20, 2016,

WTNH/Tina Detelj

MYSTIC, Conn. – Gender reveal parties have become all the rage for expectant Moms. The trend usually has soon-to-be Moms slicing into a cake to see either pink or blue icing as confirmation they are having a girl or boy. Mystic Aquarium is getting in on the trend revealing the gender of the Aquarium’s newest chicks, four African penguins. And drumroll please… there will be two boys and two girls added to the penquin colony.

On this Endangered Species Day, the gender reveal celebration gave top bidders from an online auction the honor of revealing the chick’s gender thanks to a unique swing on baseball. The lucky winners donned batting gloves and jerseys as they stepped up to hit special baseballs filled with either pink or blue powder. The explosion of color revealed the gender of each chick. 2 girls, 2 boys. Guests can see the four chicks on exhibit during the summer where they have joined the other 35 African penguins in the Aquarium’s colony.

The African penguin is one of the most popular species at Mystic Aquarium. It’s also at the highest risk of extinction in the animal kingdom. In hopes of reversing this devastating trend, Mystic Aquarium became a founding member of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan in 1995.

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