Oceans 4Ever

Penguins sure are making a big news splash this week – we’re just riding on their tail feathers!

Yesterday, a young African penguin chick, who currently goes by the name Blue-Blue, made its first public appearance at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.

The chick, who has grown up on camera via the aquarium’s penguin webcam, took its first dip in the waters of the Roger Tory Peterson Penguin Exhibit.

Big deal, right? VERY!

“The first step is learning to swim,” said Laurie Macha, supervisor of penguins and pinnipeds at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, in a press release. “While penguin chicks tend to float very well, they must learn to dive and navigate using their wings and feet. Chicks usually learn these skills within a day, but until then, they pop to the surface quickly!”

After being a little unsure at first, the chick was guided into the water by penguin trainer Sara Misslin (in photo, below). Soon, the chick took off swimming around the exhibit and investigating its dry areas. Check the web site for times at which the chick can be seen.

Over the next few weeks, the chick will be gradually introduced to the other penguins at the aquarium and will be on display a few hours a day by the end of April. Check out the aquarium’s Rory Peterson Penguin Exhibit for more penguin fun, including the opportunity to sign up for a penguin encounter.

Watch O4E for our next post, in which we’ll talk with Laurie Macha about her work with African penguins, which are disappearing from the planet at an alarming rate.

(All photos: Cheryl E. Miller, Sea Research Foundation)

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This year, our friends at the New England Aquarium are celebrating their 40th anniversary. Since opening in 1969, this Boston landmark and leader in ocean conservation, research and education has sparked a love of marine life in millions.

Now, they’d like our help in voting them the winners of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Partners in Preservation contest for buildings of significance in Boston. If they win the contest, they’ll be awarded grant money with which they can update and restore the aquarium.

Get the details first, then vote for NEAQ to win the grant to restore their confines to their original glory. Help them leave a legacy for ocean lovers like you and your kids to enjoy for generations to come!

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Aquarium road trip!

It’s something we’ve talked about doing for a series here on O4E, and what better time to kick it off than spring break?

Last week, the vacation train stopped in Chattanooga, Tennessee for a day at the Tennessee Aquarium – and what a day it was.

Alexa went behind-the-scenes of the Penguins Rock exhibit for her first video interview, and found out they really do ROCK. Thanks to Amy Graves, aviculturist (that means penguin expert in her case) at TN aq., she got an eye – and earful – of amazing facts about penguins, including gossip about their love lives.

We couldn’t have time our visit better, in fact, we arrived just as mating season starts and penguins are choosing partners and making nests (with any luck).

We had a great day learning about penguins, and we think Hercules, a grand male macaroni penguin, should be the next “Bachelor.”

Check out the video, and get ready for more penguin fun this week, as we can’t stop talking and learning – and that means sharing – about penguins.

What would you have asked Amy about penguins?

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