When a clutch of handsome penguins stepped foot -- er, or flipper -- into the Aquarium of the Pacific's brand-new June Keyes Penguin Habitat in May of 2012, the oohing and aahing started in earnest around town.
Because, penguins? Let's call them the ooh-and-aah-inducers of the avian world. The waddling, the serious expressions, the tuxedo-hued plummage. It's nearly too much to take.
But what aquarium fans didn't realize -- or perhaps they did, with fingers crossed -- is that sometimes big penguins make little penguins.
And so Floyd and Roxy, two Magellanic penguins living the Long Beach institution's chilly habitat, have recently done. Two chicks, born a month ago to the pair, just made their penguin webcam debut on Tuesday, July 30.
We have to pause and ask an honest question: Can you reside in an animal park or aquarium *without* your own live cam now? We're just saying. Beasties of the world, if you find you and your co-beasties somehow cam-less, we implore you to speak to your agent or manager at once. It isn't right.
The fluffy chicks, which do not yet have the classic markings of an adult penguin -- patience, patience -- are as of now nameless, but we're hoping they'll be monikered with something as old-school and classic as their parents.
Oh, and here's an interesting factoid: The chicks' down is replaced by their grown-up feathers after three or so months. That's fast, but indeed necessary, given penguins' clime. (Downy feathers, while cute, are, well, downy. Brrr?)
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To learn more about the chicks and to admire them before they go on exhibit in the habitat, alight at the Aquarium's helpful penguin HQ.
