The Georgia Aquarium has a lot to celebrate after the birth of an African Penguin chick and to mark the big day, they shared a sweet celebration video.
On April 19, 2024, the TikTok account for the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta shared a video of a new resident at their facilities--an adorable penguin chick. Take a look!
In a 90-second video, we're gifted an adorable first look at a new African Penguin chick, and this baby is so adorable!
Related: Penguin Chick at Cincinnati Zoo Who Has Trouble with Her Feet Has Everyone Melting
“We have a small and fluffy announcement to make,” the TikTok video begins. “May we introduce Rigby, our African Penguin chick." Then, along with the announcement, the aquarium gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the penguins .
"Our penguin trainers offer lavendar as nesting material," the video continues. "They use it because it's very similar to what the penguins would use in their natural habitat."
The facility continued, sharing, "Some take them in small little pieces and waddle on back to their mates to put it in their nests. And others take the entire bowl. And that's okay. Both are acceptable because either route can bring us this cute little egg."
In the video, we watch some of the penguins use lavender to build their nests before the video switches to a penguin egg and a little hatching attempting to come out.
The vet team checks the adorable baby penguin when the little chick is out of the egg.
"During his first exam, they check things like their heart rate and their weight. His official hatch day was January 23rd, so he's about three months old," the video shares.
"And this is what a three-month-old penguin looks like. He is definitely not fully grown yet, and he still has his juvenile plumage. Since Mr. Rigby is still so young, he has not learned how to swim."
Facts About African Penguins
According to Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation , African Penguins "are noisy, cantankerous, curious, beautiful, and mischievous, but they are also at significant risk of extinction."
The website notes that these penguins mate for life, and the couples stay together for their entire life. They tend to lay two legs at a time, and their nesting season is usually between March to May in South Africa and November to December in Nambia.
They dig their nests in sand or guano and protect their babies by using the shade of bushes. The website explains that their colonies are on Robben Island, and the parents take turns incubating their eggs, which take around 40 days from laying to hatching.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ), African Penguins are endangered, and according to its IUCN Red List, they are considered to be "largely depleted."
Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation also notes that "about 19% of all African penguins alive today are a direct result of the rehabilitation work of Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds ( SANCCOB ).
With this, it's always good news when there's another chick to add to the population. We're excited to watch this little one grow!
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