LONG BEACH, California – A baby Magellanic penguin has made its public debut at Southern California’s Aquarium of the Pacific.
The chick waddled out in front of news media Tuesday after spending weeks in a behind-the-scenes nursery at the Long Beach aquarium.
The chick hatched in May as the latest offspring of parents Roxy and Floyd and sibling to Skipper, Lily, Heidi and Anderson.
Its sex has yet to be determined.
Magellanic penguins are native to the coasts of Argentina and Chile.
Incubation takes 38 to 43 days before hatching. Initially, chicks are covered with a downy plumage that is not watertight. During a process called fledging the down is replaced by watertight juvenile feathers.
