ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - Nearly four months after a king penguin chick hatched to foster parents at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, officials said they have picked out a name after the baby was found to be male.
"We’re happy to announce that the penguin chick was determined to be male and has been named Maximilian!" the announced on Wednesday via social media. "Called 'Max' for short, he is growing up healthy and tall alongside his doting foster parents."
Max hatched at the Detroit Zoo on Aug. 13, but the chick's original parents, 27-year-old Larry and 8-year-old Stacy, conceived the egg almost 300 miles away at the Cincinnati Zoo. Keepers said the egg was deemed fertile and was transported to Metro Detroit at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
Waiting at the Detroit Zoo were bonded mates, a 21-year-old male and a 7-year-old female named Gertie, who zookeepers said would make the perfect foster parents for Max.
“It was a perfect situation,” says Jessica Jozwiak, bird supervisor at the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS). “We had a pair that was closely bonded but did not produce an egg this year, so we were able to give this egg to them. Everything has worked out wonderfully.”
Since he hatched in mid-August, the zoo said Max has been thriving and growing into his new name -- quite literally.
"The name is quite fitting because even though he is about the same size as his parents, he still gets the royal treatment," officials said. "King penguin chicks take about one year to grow in their waterproof feathers and rely on heavily on their parents for food during this time."
Max is not currently available for the public to view but after fledging, zookeepers said he will live at the habitat at the Polk Penguin Conservation Center with the rest of the king, macaroni, rockhopper and chinstrap penguins.