This year (2013), one rockhopper penguin was born at Tokyo Sea Life Park.

The chick hatched on May 23rd, weighing 88 grams at birth. After eating the food provided by its parents, it weighed approximately 1500 grams about a month later, and looked almost the same size as the adult bird.

Around this time of year, the chicks start to leave the nest and walk around. Once the chicks start to wander, the other rockhopper penguins also begin to preen their feathers from time to time. They seem to be just eager to dote on the chicks.

Approximately two months after hatching, the chicks' soft downy feathers were replaced by water-repellent contour feathers.

Around this time of year, zookeepers begin training the penguins to eat. At aquariums, rockhopper penguins are fed by placing fish on the ground, but without training, the penguins will not recognize fish on land as food, so a training period is necessary.

In the early stages of training, the zookeepers have to catch a chick each time, but the chicks thrash around violently, biting and hitting with their wings, causing the zookeepers to get injured and in pain.

However, the rockhopper penguin chicks born this year do not attack at all, even when people touch or try to catch them. They seem to be very gentle and have a wide tolerance for humans. Perhaps because of this temperament, they learned how to eat much more smoothly than the chicks we have raised in the past.

The chicks born this year are currently doing well in the exhibit area. Look for the one rockhopper penguin with the inconspicuous yellow ornamental feathers on its head. Please try to find it!

Top photo: Rockhopper penguin chick immediately after hatching.
Photo: A chick (second from the right) being cared for by the adults. Taken on June 29, 2013.
Photo below: The yellow ornamental feathers on its head are not yet very noticeable. Photographed on December 6, 2013.

[Tokyo Sea Life Park]

(December 13, 2013)