Awesome Penguin Pals at SC Acquarium

Title:
Awesome Penguin Pals at SC Acquarium

Description:
South Carolina Aquarium's newest exhibit, Penguin Planet, features four Magellanic Penguins in an interactive experience. Young visitors Haley, 7, and Gabe, 5, of Pawleys Island interact with the penguins as these Awesome Penguin Pals dive underwater over and over. The Aquarium says of the 17 species of penguins, only a few of those live in cold weather. Most species, like these Magellanic Penguins, live in temperate climates such as the Falkland Islands, Argentina and Chile. Aquarium information on these animals says the head and upper body are black and they have two black stripes on their breasts. The first black stripe is under the chin while the other forms a horseshoe around the belly. On average, these penguins are about 2.3 ft tall. The adult males weight approximately 10.8 lbs while adult females weigh about 10.1 lbs. These penguins form colonies in low forests, grasslands and bare rocks. Some colonies can are as large as 100,000 to 200,000 penguins. They seem to prefer offshore islands with thick grass and vegetation to avoid predation by birds. They breed in burrows when possible, but they also breed underneath bushes or at the surface. Magellanic Penguins breed around the southern tip of South America. They extend from Chile around to Argentina. They also breed on the Falkland Islands. They are migratory and some penguins have been seen in Peru and Brazil over the winter. There are reports of Magellanic Penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula, Australia, and New Zealand, but it is rare for them to travel that far. At sea, their predators are sea lions, leopard seals, and orcas (killer whales). Chicks are preyed upon by gulls, skuas and other birds of prey. For the latest visiting information, see http://scaquarium.org/Visit/default.html Adult ticket prices as of 09-25-09 are age 12 thru 61 are $17.00; Seniors 62+ are $16.00; Children 2 thru 11, $10.00, Toddler 0 thru 1 is free. Fall / Winter Hours Aug 16 thru Mar 31, 9 a.m. thru 5 p.m., Mon. thru Sat., and on Sundays, 12 p.m. thru 5 p.m. and the last ticket sold 4 p.m. The facility is located in downtown Charleston at 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401, 843 720-1990 http://scaquarium.org/Visit/default.html

Author:
CoastalDigital

Tags:
South Carolina Aquarium, Awesome Penguin Pals, Penguins, Charleston, SC, Scottish Music, Celtic Harp, Folk Music, Wildlife, Marine Life, Ocean,