Credit: neurodoc1 at flickr
Friday Video: Gentoo Chick
A behind the scenes video of a 1 week old Gentoo penguin at the Shedd Aquarium.
Blackfooted Penguin Stretching
Credit: dirk_huijssoon at flickr
Friday Video: Coca Cola Penguin Party
The new Coca Cola commercial making its rounds this holiday season.
The Madagascar Penguins are coming to Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. today announced plans to join forces on a new, 26- episode, CG animated comedy series tentatively titled “The Penguins of Madagascar,” based on the beloved penguin brothers in DreamWorks Animation’s hit feature film, Madagascar ($532 million worldwide gross) and upcoming sequel, Madagascar: The Crate Escape.
The series, which tells the story of a group of penguins who believes it leads an elite strike force from its Central Park Zoo headquarters, will be produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California and is scheduled to premiere on Nick in early 2009.
The series will feature the all-new adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, four penguins who rule the roost at their Central Park Zoo home. While the brothers have their flippers full keeping their multi-species zoo neighborhood happy, at times their secret missions beckon them to venture out onto the busy streets of New York City. Just as the team thinks it has its urban acreage under control, a new neighbor moves in next door: Julien, King of the Lemurs, a party animal with an entourage and an overactive ego.
Well now! This should be interesting. I did love the penguins from Madagascar and here’s hoping that the DreamWorks/Nickelodeon venture to television will be good. Also, it seems they are making a movie sequel to Madagascar as well due near Thanksgiving next year.
[via The TV Remote]
Filed under Animals, Penguin, Television
Penguins and Bagpipes
I saw this video on PenguinsLand and just had to do a little bit of research on it.
On November 2, 1902, William Speirs Bruce led an expedition to the Antarctic aboard the Scotia. They would be the first to explore the Weddell Sea and started the first permanent research station, the Omond House, on the South Orkney Island of Laurie on April 1, 1903.
The man in the photo above is Gilbert Kerr, the ship’s bagpiper. Bruce dressed Kerr in full Highland regalia and got him out on the ice with an emporer penguin. The idea was that they would play different styles of bagpipe music (jigs, strathspeys, reels, slow marches, etc) and see if the penguin had any reaction.
Per their report, the penguin was fairly indifferent to the performance, possibly concerned it was going to be their next dinner guest.
Neither rousing marches, lively reels, nor melancholy laments seemed to have any effect on these lethargic, phlegmatic birds; there was no excitement, no sign of appreciation or disapproval, only sleepy indifference.
Regardless of the results, this is certainly an interesting experiment in the true nature of scientific wonder – just to see what would happen. I’m also interested to find out why they brought a bagpiper along for an Antarctic expedition. I’m guessing there is reason relating to Bruce being Scottish and this was customary.
Penguin Geek 