The Flight of the Penguins

Facts about the 16 African Black-Footed and three Rockhoppers penguins in the colony:

At the aquarium, baby penguins are hand-raised on a formula of pureed fish, krill, half & half, pedialyte, liquid protein and vitamins. This approximates natural penguin food. In the wild, penguin parents regurgitate fish to feed their young.
African penguins are found on an island off the coast of South Africa. They are considered a threatened species. Their close proximity to humans is the main cause of their decreasing numbers. Oil spills near their nesting sites have wiped out many colonies, as has the loss of nesting areas due to mining of guano for fertilizer and explosives.
Penguins mate for life and make excellent parents, sharing the duties of nest-building and taking care of their chicks.
In the wild, they separate after nesting season and spend part of the year at sea. They reunite with their mate and their colony during the next mating season.
African black-footed penguins can swim up to 15 miles an hour.
Penguins can’t fly.
Unlike other birds, they have solid bones. This helps them dive and adapt to life on land.
They have short, dense feathers to help control heat loss in the water.
Penguins have 70 feathers per square inch. Birds of flight have four or five per square inch.
They have a layer of fat under their skin to help keep them warm.
Rockhopper penguins live mostly on coastal islands and have bright yellow feathers on the sides of their heads, red eyes and orange beaks.

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