Holiday hatchlings: Two penguin chicks born at Monterey Bay Aquarium
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MONTEREY, Calif. — Two African penguin chicks have hatched at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the babies are “un-bird-lievably adorable,” staff members say.
The tiny fuzzy chicks are on display in the aquarium’s Splash Zone exhibit under the watchful eyes of their parents. They will remain there until they become “more mobile,” and then will be removed from the public eye for a few months while they “learn how to penguin,” the aquarium said on social media.
The first chick hatched Dec. 9 and weighs just over half a pound. Its sibling debuted Dec. 13, weighing in at barely a quarter-pound. According to the aquarium, the sex of the two isn’t known yet.
Monterey Bay Aquarium plans to let the public vote on names for the babies.
The attraction has at least 17 penguins ranging in age from 2 to 27. The group includes Messina and Pringle, the parents of the newest additions, according to SFGate. Pringle is the largest African penguin in the aquarium’s colony.
The birds are part of a Species Survival Plan for threatened African penguins, a program managed by the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums that oversees the health of 800 African penguins at 50 global zoos and aquariums.
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