Lost king penguin found in South Africa

Wow! This bird certainly took a wrong turn at Albuquerque, so to speak. A king penguin had somehow found its way to a beach near Cape St. Francis, South Africa. King penguins are usually only found in the sub-antarctic islands so you can imagine the journey it took. The rescue team took it in and made sure it was not harmed and didn’t pick up any local diseases. They’ll probably send it back to its natural habitat on the next ship going south toward Antarctica. I’m sure the penguin will feel much more comfortable with his own kind.

Credit: Niquinho at flickr

“Penguins’ Rock” coming to Tennessee Aquarium

Coming this May, the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga will open their new Penguins’ Rock exhibit featuring Gentoo and Macaroni penguins which are being transported from Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. These two species are not in any exhibit in this part of the United States so if I want to see Gentoos and Macaronis, I’m going to have to make a trek to Tennessee. From the description given from this article, this penguin exhibit will be both educational and fun in lots of ways.

• 20 penguins total: 10 Gentoo & 10 Macaroni
• 18,000 gallon pool of 45° water with floor to ceiling windows for viewers to watch the penguins dive.
• Video displays that show guests the penguins in their native habitat in the sub-antarctic islands.
• A touch pool that will give visitors a feel for the icy water the penguins swim in.
• Life-sized models of three different species that visitors can compare their sizes.

Video: WDEF12 Chattanooga

Galapagos Penguins

Credit: Aaron Corey at flickr

Penguins and Pooh

This morning I was reading this article by Nathan Myhrvold about his trip to the Falkland Islands. A very good read it was and the photographs he took are astounding. Myhrvold talks about the different species he encounters including the Magellanic (which he mistakenly refers to as Jack Ass penguins – those are the African), Gentoo, Rockhopper, and King penguins. He also mentions how we could possibly be so intrigued by penguins and where their cuteness factor derives from. There is one photo there that explores a different aspect that not too many people usually think about. Penguin crap. (Don’t look at this unless you really want to see penguin crap. Yes, I’m serious. I warned you.) Yes, everybody poops including penguins. And boy, do they ever. Their nesting grounds are streamed with it.

Honestly, penguins can be truly disgusting birds. Of course, I guess I could say that about any species if I’m talking about their poo. The thing that intrigued me about that photo linked above was the trajectory and force that little guy was exerting. Luckily, Myhrvold links to the web site of Professor Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow. Meyer-Rochow has actually done research on how penguins generated the pressure to project their poo. Yes, I’m serious. He won an Ig-Nobel Prize for this research.

I do encourage you to read the above article. It is very interesting. I mean, you can’t make this crap up.

National Penguin Awareness Day

I have scoured the Interweb to find out what exact day Penguin Awareness Day really is on, but I am finding not much consensus. Some people say the 13th, 14th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and some wacky folks say it’s in August. There doesn’t seem to be an official web site for it so it’s almost up in the air. I’m finding that the 20th is popular among the more reputable sites such as the Edinburgh Zoo and the ASPCA. Holiday Insights also agrees with the randomness being weird. Heck, I think every day is penguin awareness for me. What can you do to celebrate?

• Wear penguiny colors. Maybe black pants with a white shirt?
• If you can, go see some penguins. This may be at the zoo, aquarium, or a local colony for you lucky fellows in Australia.
• Watch a movie or video that is about penguins or just has a penguin in it. March of the Penguins, Happy Feet, Madagascar, or even some Chilly Willy. Adam Sandler’s 50 First Dates has a penguin named Willie that’s a riot.
• Go to the library and find some penguin related material to read whether it be fiction or non-fiction.
• Search the Internet for penguin information. A good place to start is Wikipedia.
• Play some penguin themed or oriented games whether they be Internet-based, board-games, or imaginary.
• Anything else I’m missing?

Round up:
Looks like an excellent PAD was had at The Felt Mouse.
Make your own Cream Cheese Penguins.

March of the Emperor

The above video is an ad for Le Marche de l’empereur (the original title of March of the Penguins) that ran in France. It’s pretty funny and has English subtitles so you can follow along. The girl’s imaginary interpretation is hilarious.

Fiordland cresteds endangered now

The New Zealand Department of Conservation has now added the Fiordland crested penguin to their nationally endangered list. These rare breed of penguins were threatened before but because of human-induced threats (such as fisheries) and introduced predators, their numbers are dwindling. There was speculation last year that conservation groups were trying to get a lot of species of penguins onto the endangered lists. Hopefully their situations will improve. Maybe Munroe will be the Fiordland crested penguins’ savior.

Credit: mouse han at flickr