England Zoo Welcomes 11 Vulnerable Humboldt Penguin Chicks
The Chester Zoo recently welcomed 11 new residents into their family, and they're all adorable! Between April 11th and April 18th, 11 Humboldt penguin chicks hatched at the zoo in Cheshire, England. ABC News shared a clip of the cuties on Saturday, June 1st and now I want a baby penguin!
The video shows several of the little grey chicks, and I can't get over how cute they are. The curious chicks are looking around, getting pets and cuddles, and look happy and healthy. I just want to know how I can get a job that requires me to hold baby penguins!
I could watch these little chicks all day and I'm glad ABC News shared it! They are so fluffy and adorable, and they don't seem to mind being held and snuggled. ABC News says in their caption they were all named after plants. I wonder if the zoo will share their names soon.
Related: Penguin Chick's Excitement Over Ball Pit at Akron Zoo Wins the Internet
Fun Facts About Penguins
These baby penguins won't be little for long. They're already so big compared to how small they were at birth. When they hatch, they only weigh a few ounces, and double their size every couple of weeks. They grow very quickly! Penguins love to eat and eat up to 2 pounds of food each day. During the winter months, that amount can double. Their diet consists of fish, crustaceans (particularly krill), and squid.
These little ones have gray fur, but don't worry, they'll get their signature tuxedo colors soon enough. They are born with gray fur and at about six weeks of age they get their juvenile plumage. It takes about a year and a half for them to get their black and white feathers.
Did you know that those tuxedos penguins wear aren't just a fashion statement - the colors actually have a purpose. While swimming, if you look at them from above, their black backs blend into the dark ocean water. If you look at them from below, their white bellies match the bright surface. The colors also help camouflage them from predators.
Here's a fact about penguins that many people do not know...they're stinky! Bertie Gregory is a wildlife photographer and animal expert who works with National Geographic. He went to Antarctica to study them, and he shared that penguin colonies smell absolutely terrible! I didn't know how badly these guys really smelled until we visited the Georgia Aquarium, and I could smell the penguins before I could see them!
Penguins always make me smile, especially the fluffy cute babies! It would be a lot of fun to work with them, but I don't think being a penguin keeper is the job for me. I don't think I'd have the patience for all of the record keeping involved and definitely would not like that smell!
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