in my report of my visit (
http://www.zoochat.com/247/visit-chengdu-zoo-15-november-2013-a-344932/) I wrote:
"Also here was the penguin enclosure which was also very small, basically a concrete house with a glass front for viewing. There was good signage outside, including photos and the story of the arrival of the penguins to the zoo (all in Chinese of course). What was interesting, and I don't know the story behind it, was that of the eight penguins on display six were African penguins and one was a Magellanic penguin. (The eighth was a juvenile, so not sure if it was pure or hybrid). In the photo on the big signboard of the penguin's arrival at the zoo, all the birds were Magellanic penguins. I might presume that most of the original ones died and they got more in but of a different species. I hadn't realised the size difference between the two species: the Magellanic penguin was enormous when standing next to the African! I got a photo of them together which I will upload at some point. (I am also happy to be corrected on the ID of the penguins if I have one or both wrong!)"
Based on their markings I take it the very large bird on the right is a Magellanic penguin ([i]Spheniscus magellanicus[/i]) and the smaller bird an African penguin ([i]Sphensicus demersus[/i]). All the African penguins were the same size, so this one isn't just a small individual.
November 2013
