Australia’s own royal babies!
- Thursday 21st February 2019
Whilst the world eagerly awaits the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby, Australia’s own royal newborns have hatched at SEA LIFE Melbourne!
Two King penguin chicks arrived this month as part of another successful breeding season at SEA LIFE Melbourne. The regal duo took to the scales on Friday morning as part of their weekly health check-up.
The first penguin chick to arrive in 2019 was Maple, who was born on 6 February weighing 232 grams. Maple’s mother is Matilda, one of the smallest King penguins at SEA LIFE Melbourne. Today Maple weighed in at 1,111 grams, which means she might outgrow her mother one day!
The second chick Odin hatched on 10 February weighing 216 grams. Today Odin’s proud parents Nancy and Blake watched on as their newborn tipped the scales at 597 grams.
“The arrival of Maple and Odin mark our seventh King penguin breeding season at SEA LIFE Melbourne. We’re so happy with the two little chicks, who are doing well under the care of their parents and growing bigger and stronger with every day,” said Gemma Asser, Bird Keeper at SEA LIFE Melbourne.
King penguins have the longest breeding cycle in the penguin family with the ritual of courtship, egg laying and rearing taking up to 16 months.
King penguin are born with dark brown-grey down feathers, which aren’t waterproof, therefore Maple and Odin will remain under the careful supervision of their parents until they moult into their waterproof layer of feathers at around 10 months old.
