SEA LIFE Birmingham Gentoo Penguins coming
- Thread starter Devi
- Start date
Just after my 40% off vouchers expire. Typical. 
Sounds very interesting though, as far as I can remember I've only even seen Jackass penguins, having something different on the doorstep should be nice.
The bloke in the video paints a nice picture, hopefully it will be a nice and big exhibit.
The Deep in Hull's Gentoos should be arriving around the same time shouldn't they?
Sounds very interesting though, as far as I can remember I've only even seen Jackass penguins, having something different on the doorstep should be nice.
The bloke in the video paints a nice picture, hopefully it will be a nice and big exhibit.
The Deep in Hull's Gentoos should be arriving around the same time shouldn't they?
If you've only seen one, I'd have thought it was more likely to be Humboldt Penguin (the species kept at several zoos near you - Dudley, WMSP, Twycross). Nearest Jackass would be at Bristol, I'd have thought - not too far away!
Was about to say the same. I always found penguins a bit boring because they're rather same-y in enclosures, behaviour and species, however with the new enclosure at dudley, and a recent visit to edinburgh, I'm starting to realise that they can be pretty interesting.
I wonder what exhibit it will replace (they are quite limited for space)? Perhaps the Otter Sanctuary or Bay of Rays.
My money is on the mirror maze, that thing is naff
Ah yes I'd forgotten about that, probably because of all the times I've bashed my head on them!
I've only seen Spheniscus penguins. I'm sure the common name for them is jackass penguins, but apparently it's banded penguins.
The rest is pretty interesting though, I'm convinced that the extra distance between them and the public, combined with the steep bank and foliage is why Dudley has consistent success breeding them.
Does anyone know what subspecies the Sealife centre is getting? I'd assume the Subanatartic one, Pygoscelis papua papua.
Dudley's new enclosure is long thin sandpit that I've never seen them use.
The rest is pretty interesting though, I'm convinced that the extra distance between them and the public, combined with the steep bank and foliage is why Dudley has consistent success breeding them.
Does anyone know what subspecies the Sealife centre is getting? I'd assume the Subanatartic one, Pygoscelis papua papua.
Mentioned in the article that the Penguins in question will be coming from Melbourne Aquarium (another Merlin owned attraction) and they keep Pygoscelis papua
The parent birds were imported to Melbourne from Kelly Tarlton's in New Zealand who in turn imported there birds from Edinburgh in 1995
Educated guess work, the penguins are coming from sea life melbourne, sea life centres generally get stock from other sea life centres (hence them all having the same stuff), and the only other gentoos in sea life centres that i can see are sub-antarctic, so I'm guessing yes, no sure way of knowing though, unless someone on the melbourne forum knows?
Talk about a long way round, they could have saved a fortune and surely got some direct from Edinburgh
Talk about a long way round, they could have saved a fortune and surely got some direct from Edinburgh
That would be the easy solution, but it appears Edinburgh aren't sending out as many birds as they once did - The Deep have also had to look further for a source and are now due to get there stock from America shortly. Perhaps it's simply the case that with the renovated enclosure Edinburgh plan to increase there own numbers in the short term and are hence retaining more of there own bred stock for the next couple of seasons??
....and they must be getting pretty inbred by now! Kelly Tarltons imported 29 gentoos from Edinburgh in 1995 (and 20 king penguins from San Antonio Sea World in 1994) and these are the only ones ever brought into NZ. All the Melbourne ones are of course derived entirely from the NZ-bred birds. And now Birmingham's are going to be derived entirely from Melbourne's!
you're right that jackass penguin is a general term for all the Spheniscus (and has been for a long time) but it is also the common name for one specific Spheniscus (the African one) which can be a bit confusing. Even more confusing is you often see the African one called "African penguin" and then some other South American one called "jackass penguin". I've never actually heard them called "banded penguins" before but I can see where it would have come from. I call them Spheniscus collectively but of course outside of Zoochat-type circles no-one is going to know what the heck you're talking about.
And this is why everyone should learn latin! I keep praying mantis and marine tanks and both fields use a lot of latin, avoids so much confusion!!
The Penguins have arrived
BBC News - Penguin colony settles into new home at Sea Life Centre
BBC News - Penguin colony settles into new home at Sea Life Centre