The Ross Park Zoo is excited to announce the birth of an African penguin chick, hatched on June 20 to parents Adasha and Howard.
Penguins have been a staple species at the zoo since 1997, but this is the first successful hatch. The healthy chick has been growing rapidly and has been gaining weight every day.
African penguins are native to southern coastal Africa. Not all penguins like it cold—these penguins prefer temperatures between 40- and 70-degrees Fahrenheit! Although it can get very hot in their natural habitat, they have bare skin along their legs and around their eyes help to keep them cool. They spend their days feeding in the ocean, consuming small fish, squid, and shellfish.
These penguins have many different characteristics that help them hunt and swim in the water. They have flipper-like wings and webbed feet to help them reach speeds of up to 13 mph. They have 70 feathers per square inch that overlap to keep them waterproof, and they have a nictitating membrane (a third eyelid) which acts like a set of goggles.
The African Penguin is an endangered species, with only 52,000 birds remaining in the wild. This is due to the collection of penguin droppings, also known as guano, by humans for fertilization. To gather large amounts, heavy equipment is brought in that destroys the penguins’ nesting sites.
The African penguin exhibit at the Ross Park Zoo is currently closed due to safety measures and precautions surrounding COVID. Visit us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the penguin chick and upcoming events.
The Ross Park Zoo is located at 60 Morgan Road in Binghamton, NY. General admission is $7.00 per person. The admissions booth is open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm daily. For more information, call (607) 724-5461 or visit the zoo website at rossparkzoo.org.
