World Penguin Day!!!

Send a World Penguin Day Card!!!!

HAPPY WORLD PENGUIN DAY!

Each year, on or about the 25th of April, the Adelie penguins of Ross Island leave their brooding grounds and swim to their winter sanctuary northwest of the Balleny Islands. Some decided to mark the occasion by including all penguins and dubbing the day World Penguin Day.

Most penguins do participate in migratory habits. Why they favor some places more than others as their destination is the current  work of biologists. Current belief is that the Adelies favor a place that has more pack ice, thereby providing more protection.  This appears to be true, as the Davis Station Adelies migrate north, then west, staying close to the Antarctic continent. The Magellanic penguins of South America travel to Mar del Plata, where usually there is more food and less harsh conditions; however, in the past few years, the Magels have suffered many losses due to inadequate food. The Falkland Island Rockhopper Penguins have traditionally migrated to coastal South America, and the northernmost of the colonies favored the areas along the Patagonian Shelf.  The Macaronis stay in the sub-Antarctic area, mostly at sea, during their migration from their breeding grounds.

These are just a few instances of penguin migration; the point is that they do migrate and when they do, this action initiates the end of the breeding season and the beginning of a new life in the vast southern ocean for thousands of newly molted juveniles. Welcome to your world, little guys. Bon voyage!!!

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Image by Flickr/Benjamin Fox

The penguins of the Jacksonville Zoo

Partying with the penguins at Jacksonville Zoo

Posted: April 23, 2010 - 12:12am

• Photos

Provided by Steve DiMattia

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens' new Magellanic penguin exhibit was featured at this year's ExZOOberation.

 

By Steve Dimattia

 

The penguins at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens had a party recently and invited more than 500 of their closest friends.

While the penguins sported their formal tuxedos, the guests, who donated a minimum of $175 to attend, dressed in a combination of black and white to honor their hosts.

It was all in the name of ExZOOberation, the zoo's largest adult evening fundraiser, now in its 15th year.
To date, the annual event has raised more than $2.2 million that supports the care for 1,400 animals, helps to maintain the gardens and contributes to the zoo's educational programs and conservation initiatives.

The zoo's new Magellanic penguin exhibit was featured this year, and the seven birds did not disappoint. They frolicked freely around "Tuxedo Coast" and swam playfully up to the viewing window to greet guests.
And they have not disappointed on another front, either.

The zoo's director of animal programs, Delfi Messenger, said she observed breeding behavior, which may soon lead to new additions to the exhibit.

This news complemented the Penguin Adoption Package that was up for auction and included the right to name any offspring through 2011. It was one of many packages auctioned either live or through silent bidding. Others included Gorilla and Lion Adoption Packages and an African Safari, as well as items and services from local businesses that included everything from home landscaping to a jersey autographed by Tim Tebow. The live auction brought in $30,000.

"This is THE party of the year," said Diane David, the zoo's director of development. "Thanks to our volunteer chairs and committee, the evening was beautiful, we had a good turnout and I think everyone had a fantastic time - all to benefit our wonderful Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens."

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Lovelorn: Pepper, a Magellanic penguin at the San Francisco Zoo, has mostly kept to himself since his breakup (Cindy Chew/The Examiner)

Jilted zoo penguin fails to find love this season

By: Katie Worth
April 25, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — Love has not proven to be in the stars this year for penguin Pepper.

The Magellanic penguin — famously dumped by his long-term same-sex partner Harry for recently widowed female penguin Linda last year — did not find new love this breeding season, according to his keepers at the San Francisco Zoo.

In fact, Pepper has not been acting entirely himself lately, said zookeeper Anthony Brown. While the other single penguins at the exhibit have been running around in pairs or cliques, forging friendships or budding romances with other penguins, Pepper has mostly stayed in his borrow, keeping to himself.

When he does leave his borrow, he’s frequently confronted with lingering tension with his ex, Harry, and his rival, Linda.

Brown said the tension hasn’t devolved into the “all-out brawl” that took place right after the breakup last year, which required zookeepers to separate the animals for several weeks. However, because Harry and Linda have a neighboring borrow to Pepper’s, the penguins frequently run into each other and will often take aggressive postures and stare each other down, according to the zookeeper.

Meanwhile, Harry and Linda are incubating an egg, but the egg will likely be reared by another penguin couple, because of lingering concern over a respiratory infection Harry suffered over the winter.

Harry and Pepper had been one of San Francisco Zoo’s most devoted couples for several years, and they successfully reared a chick, Chuck Norris, two years ago. But after Linda’s partner died, she and Harry began spending more time together. By the time the breeding season began last year, Harry had chosen Linda over Pepper.

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Pick up a penguin at the London Zoo

Pick up a penguin

Blackfooted penguins at London Zoo England UK Photograph: Alamy

Meerkats may come and go, but penguins remain perennially popular – and the collection of penguins at London zoo, including both black-footed and rockhopper penguins – are one of its biggest draws. Drop by at 2pm when the penguins are fed, and there's a chance to learn more about what they eat (fish, down in one gulp), the different species and where they live. The zoo also has a brand new rainforest attraction built inside a giant dome, where monkeys, sloths, anteaters and birds roam free.

London Zoo

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This Week's Pencognito!

Come see Jen and all the pengies here!

Image of the Day

Galapagos Islands-673
Originally uploaded by Tristan27

Galapagos Penguins on Isabella

TN Aquarium Update

Friday, April 23, 2010

Macaroni penguin eggs at the Tennessee Aquarium

(Above) Paulie is seen protecting his mate's first egg of 2010.

(Above) Paulie and Chaos have been very diligent penguin parents in the past, raising last year's chick Pepper. So far they have kept their first egg 48 hours. Last year, they crushed their first egg in the nest within a day.

 

Wow! The Tennessee Aquarium's gentoo and macaroni penguins just received the rocks they use to build nests on April 1st and there have already been four eggs laid! All of them are macaroni eggs, so don't get too excited about baby penguins just yet. As our penguin keepers explain, macaroni penguins usually have a clutch of two eggs. But the first egg is about 60 percent smaller than the second egg that is laid. Macaronis will usually boot the first egg out of their nest or crush it. This seems to be nature's way of focusing efforts on the egg with the greatest chance of survival to adulthood.

 

Gentoo penguins on the other hand, lay eggs of roughly the same size. It's possible that a gentoo pair could raise two chicks in one season. So far, the gentoos have been a little more leisurely about building nests and laying eggs. However, aviculturists Amy Graves and Loribeth Aldrich believe that since a few eggs are showing up in the exhibit, more nest building and courtship will be taking place.

 

Here are the first three installments of the Tennessee Aquarium's "Love on the Rocks - Season Two" webisodes. This will help catch you up on what's turning out to be a rather fast-paced nesting season.

 



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Edinburgh Zoo Update

Pebbles are a penguin’s best friend at Edinburgh Zoo

Mating season has started for the Gentoo penguins at Edinburgh Zoo and the hunt for the best nest and the perfect pebbles to fill it has begun.

The famous penguin enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo is a hive of activity at the moment as mating season for the Gentoo penguin has begun. There are three different species of penguin on display at the zoo. Penguin keeper Lesley Garland definitely has her hands full with her feathered friends.

Lesley said: “We’ve got three species of penguins here the tallest and the most colourful ones are our King penguins, they’ve got the lovely orange patches on either side of their heads. The main nesting site is the Gentoo penguins they have a little white band that runs across the top of their heads from eye to eye and the smallest penguins we have are our Rockhoppers and they have the lovely yellow crest on the top of their head.”

The popular penguin parade features all three penguin species and is enjoyed by visitors of all ages. It’s the first zoo in the world to exhibit the king penguins, which is why the king penguin is on the zoo logo, and they are always very popular with the public particularly when they come out on parade. Funnily enough, the parade was actually started by mistake in 1951 when the penguins went for a walk then returned to their enclosure after a gate was left open.



The Gentoo breeding season is the busiest time for the penguin keepers and it is definitely their favourite time of year when they get the chance to see the penguins busy working to welcome their new chicks. Now the public can see the special event too as the zoo have installed a webcam into the nesting area which captures all the goings on.

Lesley said: “The Gentoo have just started their nest building they would build nests in the wild as well but here at Edinburgh zoo we give them concrete nests ring and then we will put piles of pebbles within the enclosure and they will collect the pebbles and fill up the nest rings themselves and its all part of their courtship display.
“Not only does it help keep the eggs and the chicks up off the ground and keep the nest nice and secure its part of the courtship, the males will select pebbles and offer them too the females and the females. If they like the pebbles will take them off the males and tuck them into the nest,” she added.

The pebbles are an important part of the mating ritual and the best pebbles are highly sought after. The penguins like smooth, round pebbles or flat pebbles, no jagged edges that could damage the eggs. The Hour logo was painted on to one of the pebbles and they will keep track of the pebble as it moves nests through out the breeding season.

Lesley said: “There is a lot of rivalry that goes on there’s a lot of rivalry over the nest sites initially and them over the pebbles… they are quite happy to steal pebbles from other nests if they like the look of a particular pebble particularly if the owners attention is distracted else where, they will just come straight in and whip any pebble out that they fancy.”

The zoo already has 95 eggs and is hoping to see the same successful breeding season as they did last year, where they had over 100. The chicks are due in May and the zoo is keen to share this exciting event via the webcam.

Video here at source

Image of the Day

Yellow Eyes Penguin
Originally uploaded by shabdyny

Painting a penguin’s tale

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Painting a penguin’s tale

April 21, 2010, 02:41 AM By Heather Murtagh Daily Journal Staff

Michael Costa/Daily Journal ‘Pierre the Penguin’ illustrator Laura Regan, 60 of Woodside, reads the children’s book to a group of San Francisco Day School kindergartner’s in the African Hall at the California Academy of Sciences.  Five-year-olds sat quietly while eagerly giving a little thumbs-up sign with their arms raised in the air, all in hopes of getting an answer from California Academy of Sciences biologist Pamela Schaller about penguins. “Why do they like to wiggle their tales,” one kindergarten student from San Francisco Day School asked. Schaller, who was in the penguin exhibit using a microphone to answer giggled, “I like watching them wiggle too.” Shaking excess water off is the main reason behind the wiggle. Learning that was one of the many things about 40 children had the chance to learn yesterday morning when the academy debuted “Pierre the Penguin, A True Story.” The tale, written by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by Woodside artist Laura Regan, tells the tale of 27-year-old Pierre. In 2007, Pierre began losing his feathers presenting a problem for the bird which was then unable to stay warm. “One day aquatic biologist Pam, observing the penguins, saw one in a jam,” Regan read aloud from the book. “Gently, gently, she examined Pierre. His feathers were gone. His bottom was bare.” Pierre’s bare bum led to mocking from others in the colony. Schaller, with the help of a veterinarian, began testing out therapies but Pierre was still losing feathers. Noting that her dog wears a rain coat, Schaller asked about designing a wet suit for Pierre. It was the special wet suit — which now sits in a clear box left of the penguin exhibit at the academy — that allowed Pierre to regrow his feathers. Regan, 60, heard the story of Pierre and his wet suit while visiting the academy. There was interest in turning the story into a book and Regan loved the idea. “It’s a total gift to be able to do a story really about a local hero,” she said. Creating the children’s book took some time. Aside from the writing, Regan worked for about one month planning her art work then seven doing the large paintings. She and the author were able to visit the penguins. Regan took photos to work with and even returned to get different action shots of the penguins who would star in the book which officially went on sale yesterday. The book was kind of like a gift to Pierre, since it finished on his birthday, Feb. 16. Pierre seemed unfazed by his new-found publishing fame yesterday. He and his girlfriend Homey, whom he started dating in 2006 three years after losing his long-time partner Ursula, hung out in their nest. The couple claimed the area under a rock in the upper left hand corner. Those who visit in hopes of seeing Pierre should know he dons a blue band on his right wing. Don’t confuse him with his grandson, Dyer, who hangs in the same area wearing a blue wingband with a white stripe. To view more of Laura Regan’s work visit www.LauraRegan.com. To learn more about Pierre or the California Academy of Sciences visit www.calacademy.org. “Pierre the Penguin” sells for $15.95.  Source

Read about Pierre the Penguin

“Pierre the Penguin: A True Story” Launches at CalAcademy – The Best Book Reading Ever

Wetsuits and and live animals – that’s what all book readings should have. And that’s the way it was this morning at our California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park when the new book “Pierre the Penguin: A True Story“ made its debut.
And the reviews are in.

The bird himself, back when he needed a jacket:

After a thumbs up from the kids…

..it was time for a penguin feeding:

And there he is, famous Pierre, in the middle. His feathers growed back…

…so he no longer has a need for his wetsuit:

Here are the deets:

“When Pierre – an elderly penguin at the California Academy of Sciences – begins to go bald, the staff is worried. Without his feathers, Pierre is too cold to swim. He also looks different from the rest of the colony, so the other penguins begin to pick on him. Academy biologists try every treatment in the books to prompt new feather growth, but none of the traditional strategies work. Finally, aquatic biologist Pam Schaller has an idea: why not fit the shivering bird with a neoprene wetsuit to keep him warm? She designs a tiny wetsuit especially for Pierre, but will it work? Told in rhyme by noted I SPY author Jean Marzollo, and paired with gorgeous paintings from acclaimed wildlife artist Laura Regan, this inspirational true story comes to life.”

This tome will be on sale at the CalAcademy.


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