CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Cuteness alert! Wait until you see the latest additions to the Shedd Aquarium.
The Shedd Aquarium announced Wednesday the names and sexes of four Magellanic penguin chicks that the aquarium welcomed following a successful nesting and breeding season in May.
According to the Shedd, the chicks have joined the full penguin colony and can now be seen on exhibit by guests.
Select donors of the aquarium, who are long-time supporters of the non-profit organization, were given the exclusive opportunity to help choose a name for the penguins.
The names are:
• Porter, male – named in honor of the aquarium’s founder John G. Shedd's wife, Mary Porter Shedd, by the Shedd Family
• Popi, male – named in honor of Pablo “Popi” Garcia Borboroglu, Ph.D., who is the founder and president of the Global Penguin Society, an international science-based conservation coalition dedicated to the survival and protection of the world’s penguin species, chosen by the Christopher Kim family and Museful Co.
• Sir Elio, male – fondly named by John and Carrie Morgridge and the Morgridge Family Foundation
• Dee, female – named in honor of Dr. Dee Boersma who is a University of Washington professor of biology and founder and director of the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, chosen by Shedd Aquarium’s animal care team
According to the Shedd, regular check-ups with the animal care team continued to demonstrate that the four birds were hitting all their growth milestones. To determine the sex, since penguins’ reproductive organs are internal, the animal care team took biological samples from the chick’s eggshells and a routine blood test was completed.
After reaching important milestones along the way, including socialization, first swim, eating full fish and more, these birds have also joined the penguin colony in their habitat at the aquarium.
Guests who plan a visit to the aquarium can potentially spot the penguin chicks by their slightly lighter grey feathers in the Polar Play Zone.
Visitors from around the world can also participate in a virtual penguin encounter to come face-to-face with the penguins and an animal care expert.
The aquarium is also encouraging the public to join in safeguarding aquatic habitats that Magellanic penguins and thousands of other animals call home, by urging elected officials to support the protection of 30 percent of the world’s natural habitats by 2030. This goal of “30 by 30” secures a better future for wildlife, their habitats and humans.
