Flap, Flap…Conk
Did you know that penguins are flightless birds? Their vestigial wings have evolved into flippers! If the flightless birds tried to fly in the air flapping their flippers they’d fall to the ground like a rock. Although they cannot fly in the sky, penguins are actually quite agile and graceful in the water much like a bird with wings glides through the air.
On June 5, 2015 the Aquarium of the Pacific welcomed a new baby Magellanic Penguin chick named Lily. Lily is the 3rd generation of Aquarium born penguins! Four penguins hatched in 2014 (Paddles, Jayde, Mattson, and Skipper) and two in 2013 (Heidi and Anderson). Lily made her public debut to join the other penguins in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat on Tuesday, August 18th. We were invited to catch a glimpse of Lily as members of the media, all opinions are my own.
Funny Fact: Penguins are not black and white because they want to go as a pseudo tux to a fancy cocktail party but because their white tummies are great camouflage from predators down below in the ocean and their black backs are great from predators up above in the sky!
Who Doesn’t Love Flippered Friends?
We had the opportunity to visit Lily and all of the creatures of the Aquarium of the Pacific last Monday and we had a superb time, it was a nice summer day and the perfect temperature to spend the day in Long Beach. We spent the majority of our day in the outside exhibits as my oldest daughter loves the sharks, my oldest son loves the water spray ground and my youngest son loves the Lorikeets and I of course – love the penguins!
Introducing: Lily (courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific)
Amazing Habitat for an Amazing View
The June Keyes penguin habitat is an amazing space to view over a dozen Magellanic penguins. These penguins are the first to join the Aquarium of the Pacific and the exhibit includes a really cool crawl in space where you can feel fully immersed in the habitat! There are also exhibit panels and interactive touch screens which provide information about penguins and issues that are affecting their survival in the wild too. The exhibit features a rocky area and beach that resembles the penguins’ natural habitat, a pool for swimming, and nesting areas. My kids loved getting up close and personal to the little guys!
Go See Lily!
Everyone is welcome to see Lily – the new baby Magellanic Penguin chick everyday starting when the Aquarium opens at 9:00 a.m.
The public can help support the nonprofit’s new penguin chick through the Adopt an Animal program. People who adopt a chick at the $50 level or above will be entered into an opportunity drawing for a penguin encounter and a one-of-a-kind painting by a penguin chick. For details, visit The Aquarium of the Pacific.
Log on now for more information about our flippered friends at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
