We went to the Tennessee Aquarium this past Saturday for my youngest son’s birthday. It was a blast- I love seeing the fish and other sea and river life. I had to laugh at the penguins, though. Most of them were turned away from the window. My brother and I joked that they were on strike. Not a single one was swimming, they were mostly just standing facing the wall. I wonder why they do that. Anyone know?
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Badbadivy – A friend sent me a link to your post. You ask a great question about a fascinating part of a penguin's life-cycle. Penguins have 70 to 80 feathers for nearly every square inch of their bodies. Each year, penguins go through what’s called a catastrophic molt. They lose all of their feathers within two to three weeks as new feathers grow in and push the old ones out of place. So it’s no wonder the gentoos and macaronis at the Tennessee Aquarium looked like they were on strike while you were visiting. You see, they get a little grumpy when they are molting. “The birds won’t eat and usually don’t swim. Molting is a very stressful time because they probably don’t feel normal,” explains Amy Graves, the Aquarium’s penguin keeper.
Because this process is physically taxing, the penguins bulk up prior to the molt. This also explains why they also seem a little off balance at this time of year. “The penguins gain twenty percent of their body weight which explains why they appear extra clumsy on land during their molting season,” Graves said.
Penguins molt right after the breeding season, which occurs at Penguins Rock from April to June. So look for scruffy-looking, kind of clumsy penguins next September and October.
By the way, Nipper takes the award for fastest molt at the Tennessee Aquarium. He sported his new gentoo feathers in about two weeks. Iggy the macaroni was one of the slow pokes. His molt took more than three weeks. All of the birds look sleek, slim and relatively sure-footed now. We hope you visit the Tennessee Aquarium again soon. – Thom Benson,Tennessee Aquarium Communications Manager.
Posted by: Thom Benson | October 21st, 2008 2:04 pm |
Badbadivy – A friend sent me a link to your post. You ask a great question about a fascinating part of a penguin's life-cycle. Penguins have 70 to 80 feathers for nearly every square inch of their bodies. Each year, penguins go through what’s called a catastrophic molt. They lose all of their feathers within two to three weeks as new feathers grow in and push the old ones out of place. So it’s no wonder the gentoos and macaronis at the Tennessee Aquarium looked like they were on strike while you were visiting. You see, they get a little grumpy when they are molting. “The birds won’t eat and usually don’t swim. Molting is a very stressful time because they probably don’t feel normal,” explains Amy Graves, the Aquarium’s penguin keeper.
Because this process is physically taxing, the penguins bulk up prior to the molt. This also explains why they also seem a little off balance at this time of year. “The penguins gain twenty percent of their body weight which explains why they appear extra clumsy on land during their molting season,” Graves said.
Penguins molt right after the breeding season, which occurs at Penguins Rock from April to June. So look for scruffy-looking, kind of clumsy penguins next September and October.
By the way, Nipper takes the award for fastest molt at the Tennessee Aquarium. He sported his new gentoo feathers in about two weeks. Iggy the macaroni was one of the slow pokes. His molt took more than three weeks. All of the birds look sleek, slim and relatively sure-footed now. We hope you visit the Tennessee Aquarium again soon. – Thom Benson,Tennessee Aquarium Communications Manager.
Posted by: Thom Benson | October 21st, 2008 2:06 pm |