UPDATE July 14, 2022 – The Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins exhibit opened at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
January 20 was Penguin Awareness Day, and even though the Little Blue Penguins at Birch Aquarium are not yet on display, the aquarium thought you may enjoy this little penguin parade filmed behind-the-scenes at Birch Aquarium:
Some fun facts about the Little Blue Penguins
- How little is LITTLE?! These penguins stand at only 8 to 10 inches and weigh about 2 to 3 pounds! Here are just a few everyday items that are about the size of a Little Blue Penguin:
- Bowling Pin
- Football
- A California Burrito
- The waddle of a Little Blue Penguin may seem (adorably) awkward, however, it’s the most efficient way for them to move on land! Since penguins have short legs and large webbed feet, the rocking motion of waddling helps to raise their center of mass, and swing their body forward.
- Little Blue Penguins are known to dive about 800 times a day while hunting at sea. It’s no wonder their scientific genus name, Eudyptula minor, means “good little diver!”
For more, visit aquarium.ucsd.edu
Updated July 14, 2022
