Four Penguin Chicks Hatch at the Aquarium

Four new African penguin chicks have hatched at the New England Aquarium and are being cared for behind the scenes by our dedicated Animal Care team. When ready, the young animals will join the rest of the colony where half of the population exceeds the average lifespan of African penguins in the wild. The chicks need to get their waterproof feathers, build relationships, and be able to swim and climb up on the islands in the exhibit area before they will be ready to join the other 38 African penguins. The Animal Care team assists the chicks in learning these skills by having them practice swimming and climbing in a smaller pool behind the scenes. Their goal is to set up every animal for success in their environment.

The chicks are part of a breeding program called the African Penguin Species Survival Plan, through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The program supports field conservation efforts along with breeding to help promote a sustainable future for these endangered penguins.

Meet the new chicks (who have yet to be named) and learn more about their families.

Parents Demersus III and Malgas II have two new chicks:

Male alpha chick

Hatch date: 3/21/2024
Hatch weight: 71g or .15 pounds
Current weight: 2760 g or 6.08 pounds
Siblings: Bray (hatched last year) and the female chick below

This male chick is wearing a pink zip-tie bracelet to distinguish him from his sister. Currently, trainers are working on relationship building. The chick has been weaned and is learning to be hand-fed.

Female beta chick

Hatch date: 3/27/2024
Hatch weight: 63g or .14 pounds
Current weight: 2170g or 4.78 pounds
Siblings: Bray and the male chick above

Like her brother, this young chick has also been weened and is learning to be hand-fed. She wears a yellow bracelet.

Parents Jahleel III and Namibia IV also have two new chicks:

Male alpha chick

Hatch date: 4/8/2024
Hatch weight: 65g or .14 pounds
Current weight: 1915g or 4.22 pounds
Siblings: This year’s beta chick below

This second pair of penguins are first-time parents. Their egg and chick, also just weaned, were fostered by experienced parents,  Durban and Harlequin.

Female beta chick

Hatch date: 4/18/2024
Hatch weight: 64g
Current weight: 717g or 1.58 pounds
Siblings: The alpha chick listed above

This egg was incubated by Durban and Harlequin and then put back with its parents as it started pipping or hatching. Though this egg hatched later than most African penguins and experienced slow growth in the beginning, it is now thriving. The experienced Animal Care staff has been supplementing the chick with additional feeds of formula and small pieces of fish to help its first-time parents succeed in raising a healthy chick. Currently, both of the new parents are successfully feeding the thriving chic,k so it has been a great learning opportunity that will set this pair up for future success with parental duties.

The baby birds will be named when they join the exhibit. All of our penguins have educational names that can teach us something about their species or penguins in general. Learn more about our naming process.