Penguin chick makes splash in Long Beach debut
Three-month-old Magellanic penguin Ari is a new attraction at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Long Beach has a fluffy new resident.
Ari, a Magellanic penguin chick born this spring, made a splashy debut at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Thursday. He’s the first chick raised and displayed at the aquarium in eight years.
The three-month-old male chick hatched on May 9, weighing about 2.5 ounces. He’s the first offspring of Kate and Robbie, two Magellanic penguins rescued by the aquarium after being stranded along the coast of Brazil in 2010.
“To see a chick hatch from them is very exciting, and it’s a great full circle moment for us,” said Ashley Loper, an aviculturist who has closely monitored Ari’s development at the aquarium.
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Ari is the result of a cooperative breeding program aimed at maintaining genetic diversity and health in zoos and aquariums.
Magellanic penguins are not endangered, but their numbers have decreased significantly in recent years due to climate change and overfishing.
Ashley Loper, an aviculturist at the Aquarium of the Pacific, helped raise Ari, a Magellanic penguin chick. Here, she feeds him at the aquarium on Thursday.
“It’s very important that we have this backup population in case things were to get worse out in the wild,” aquarium CEO and President Jeffrey Flocken said.
Magellanic penguins are medium-sized birds with distinctive black-and-white bands that wrap around their heads and chests. They’re native to the arid coastlines of Argentina and Chile. Colonies usually settle around beaches to build nests for their chicks.
Like Magellanic penguins in the wild, Ari spent his earliest weeks under the watchful care of his parents. Once he was large enough, Ari was moved to a behind-the-scenes nursery, where aquarium staff monitored his development and introduced him to swimming.
Now, he’s out on display with fellow members of the Magellanic penguin colony.
People watch the penguins at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Thursday. Magellanic penguins build nests on beaches, and this area of the aquarium is intended to simulate that environment.
On Thursday, Ari partook in his first feeding with the entire colony. Megan Smylie, the sea otter program manager, said Ari is integrating nicely into the group, and he is expected to reach adult size soon.
In the aquarium’s opening minutes, the energetic penguin kept darting back and forth in front of the display, impressing visitors. Still developing his swimming muscles, Ari occasionally lagged behind when the older penguins glided through the water together, and he kept paddling determinedly to catch up.
“It’s actually amazing to see,” said Kris Laidlaw, a visitor who stopped by the aquarium on her way to LAX on Thursday morning. “You don’t see this very often anywhere, and it’s a lot cheaper than going to the wild to see them.”
Ari takes a swim on Thursday, his first day in the public eye at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Visitors can now see Ari and the rest of the Magellanic penguin colony in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat during regular aquarium hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those unable to visit in person can watch Ari through the live webcam.
Ari can be identified by his light gray plumage and small stature. For now.
“That baby chick is growing fast at this point,” Flocken said. “It’s almost the same size as adults. So I would say, come soon.”