The Maryland Zoo welcomed five new penguins -- and there are more to come!
The African Penguin chicks, each one about the size of a chicken egg, hatched at Maryland Zoo in October.
“We are thrilled to continue our breeding success every year, and so far have hatched out another five chicks to kick off the beginning of our breeding season,” Jen Kottyan, avian collection and conservation manager, said in a press release. “We anticipate we’ll have more chicks hatch soon.”
Breeding season for this type of penguin copies the fall breeding season in their native home of South Africa, which begins in September and lasts until the end of February. So get ready, more baby penguins will hatch in the coming months!
The chicks will be removed from their nest when they are three weeks old in order to "learn that staff are the source for food," according to WJZ13.
Over 1,000 African Penguins have hatched at the Maryland Zoo, which has the largest colony of the birds in North America. That number currently sits at 90 with the new additions. The zoo, which is the third oldest in the United States, has looked after this particular type of penguin for about 50 years.
There are only an estimated 52,000 African Penguins left worldwide, and the bird is on the endangered species list.
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