The Calgary Zoo's Penguin Couple Just Debuted Their Penguin Baby & It's So Tiny (VIDEO)
This little thing doesn't even look real. One of the cutest penguin babies was born at the Calgary Zoo on Wednesday, June 3. This baby is officially the first-ever chick bred by two Gentoo penguin parents. This incredibly tiny creature is great news for both the zoo and the penguin population as these types of birds are near threatened.
The Calgary Zoo is filled with amazing animals. From lazy pandas to wild jungle cats, the zoo has it all.
But there is a new addition in town.
Thanks to the zoo's Instagram page, we got a glimpse of the new baby penguin.
It was penguin parents Georgia and Cooper's first egg together.
After being closed due to COVID-19, the Calgary Zoo officially reopened on Saturday, May 23 which means visitors can see the new baby and all the other adult penguins.
It's the perfect way to waste away an afternoon. Plus, all the animals need some company after not seeing any visitors for so long.
Before the birth could take place, a Calgary Zoo team member named Valerie was able to look at the egg and tell if it was fertile through a process called candling.
The worker described what this process looked like in the Instagram video.
By holding the light to the egg, she was able to see the heart in the middle. This then gave her an idea as to what stage of incubation the chick was at.
The egg eventually hatched and the first-time parents did an amazing job.
The video shows the little baby nestled in-between one of the parent's legs and it seems more interested in biting at the surrounding rocks then paying any attention to the camera.
It’s super tiny but eventually, the zoo claims Gentoo penguins will grow to be 90 centimetres. This is the same height as the Stanley Cup.
Eating mostly fish and crustaceans, this little cutie will weigh up to 18 pounds once it becomes an adult.
This birth is a huge milestone for the conservation of the species since they are considered to be near threatened.
According to National Geographic, a near-threatened species is “something that’s rare and may become extinct.
The wonderful thing is that you don’t need to travel to South American in order to see these cuties.
The baby and all the other adult penguins are at the zoo right now and you can visit them whenever you want.