It's penguin-palooza at the Minnesota Zoo, as two African penguin chicks have hatched
It's Penguin-Palooza at the Minnesota Zoo, as two African penguin chicks hatched earlier last week.
Chick #1 hatched 11.17.13 weighing 89.8 grams (gender unknown at this time)
Chick #2 hatched 11.18.13 weighing 72.1 grams (gender unknown at this time)
Penguins are being raised behind-the-scenes at this time.
About African Penguins (Endangered):
African penguins live in the cold ocean off the southern coast of Africa. Although they rely on warm, sunny beaches to nest, they spend most of their lives swimming in the cold, nutrient-rich waters flowing up from Antarctica. They may snack on squid, anchovies, and other small animals, but their success relates directly to their ability to find fatty, nourishing sardines which they eat by the dozens. They move to the beach mostly to mate, nest, raise young, and molt and may swim 30 miles off the coast to spend days at a time gorging on dense schools of their favorite fish. African penguins, like most other penguin species, are endangered in the wild. Oil spills, historical hunting, and destruction of their habitat have killed 80% of the population in the last 50 years. Right now, the greatest source of their troubles comes from a catastrophic drop in the number of sardines as a result of overfishing and changing ocean climate.
Thanks,
Kelly
Kelly Lessard
Public Relations Manager, Minnesota Zoo
13000 Zoo Blvd, Apple Valley, MN 55124
o: 952-431-9217 / f: 952-431-9508
