Newly hatched baby penguins ‘double the cuteness’ at California aquarium. See them
.jpg "Two baby little blue penguins have hatched at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California.")
Two newly hatched little blue penguin chicks are growing and getting stronger behind the scenes at a California aquarium, officials said.
The baby penguins, native to Australia and New Zealand, hatched Jan. 23 and Jan. 26, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego said in a March 7 Instagram post.
“Double the cuteness,” the aquarium said with a photo of the fluffy baby penguins.
The chicks, which are now about six weeks old, will “remain behind the scenes as they continue to grow,” the aquarium said.
“Cuteness overload,” read one comment on the Instagram post.
“My heart is going to explode,” read another comment.
A penguin hatched Jan. 1 at the aquarium was the first little blue penguin to hatch on the West Coast, McClatchy News reported.
Standing at about 10 inches tall, little blue penguins are the smallest penguin species, the aquarium said
They “are native to the coastal dunes and rocky shores of Southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.” In the wild, little blue penguin populations “are facing numerous challenges from climate change,” according to the aquarium.
Warmer waters lead penguins to “venture to colder, deeper waters to find food,” the aquarium said. This, in turn, affects their health, “making it more difficult for them to nest and breed.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2024 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Newly hatched baby penguins ‘double the cuteness’ at California aquarium. See them."