Rockhopper Penguin / Eudyptes chrysocome

Can we pretend that I added a layer of texture to this image, ha? I just had to post it, even though the quality is about as bad as it could be! This is a Rockhopper Penguin (Vulnerable Status), seen on February 17th at the Calgary Zoo's new exhibit, Penguin Plunge. Waited till then to go to the Calgary Zoo, to see the new exhibit. I knew it was open to certain membership card owners between limited hours for a sneak preview, but I chose to do other things with friends instead. Friday was the official opening day - and unfortunately it coincided with Professional Day holiday for many of the Calgary schools. The line-up was awful, and I almost changed my mind, but thankfully a friend happened to come down at the same time (and he almost turned around and left when he saw the length of the line) and so we passed the long wait chatting, which helped! The exhibit itself has been beautifully created - though very small. I suspect very long line-ups will continue for a long time, as these birds are going to be extremely popular. The four species of Penguin (46 Penguins in total) will stay indoors till spring and then will move to the outdoor area. I found the lighting inside was really bad for taking photos - the photo above was taken with flash, but still came out horribly. However, I'll take any photo of my first sight of a Penguin! Will add more detail when I get back home.

The Zoo now has four species of Penguin - Gentoo, King, Humboldt and Rockhopper. They are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums penguin species survival plan.

The 46 penguins came from zoos in Quebec, Texas, New York and Washington states and Scotland. There are 8 King Penguins, 23 Gentoo Penguins, 10 Humboldt Penguins and 5 Rockhopper Penguins. The IUCN Red List states:

King Penguins - Least Concern
Humboldt Penguins - Vulnerable
Gentoo Penguins - Near Threatened
Rockhopper Penguins - Vulnerable

"The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lb), second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli; patagonicus is found in the South Atlantic and halli elsewhere.

King Penguins eat small fish, mainly lanternfish, and squid and rely less than most Southern Ocean predators on krill and other crustaceans. On foraging trips they repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (330 ft), often over 200 metres (660 ft).

King Penguins breed on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, and other temperate islands of the region. The total population is estimated to be 2.23 million pairs and is increasing."

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