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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper welcomes four macaroni penguins.
- The public is invited to help name the new penguins; a contest offers tickets as prizes.
- Macaroni penguins, classified as vulnerable, highlight penguin ecology and conservation issues.
DRAPER ā The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has added four unique penguins to its resident colony and is asking the public for help naming them.
The four macaroni penguins will join the almost two dozen gentoo penguins at the aquarium’s Penguin Research Station. The aquatic birds are easily recognized by the bright yellow crest feathers for which they are named, based on the 18th-century term “macaroni” which means extravagant style.
“These new arrivals ā two males and two females ā offer an excellent opportunity for visitors to explore the diverse adaptations and natural behaviors of penguins in a science-based setting,” the aquarium said in a statement.
Macaroni penguins breed on rocky sub-Antarctic islands and forage in open waters in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions. The animals are expert swimmers and divers who eat krill, small fish and squid and have waterproof plumage that provides insulation.
“Integrating macaroni penguin into our Penguin Research Station offers our guests an exceptional opportunity to experience these remarkable birds up close and explore the intricacies of penguin ecology ā from feeding strategies to habitat adaptations. This initiative encourages a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diversity of life and the importance of caring for our world,” said Dr. Ari Fustukjian, vice president of zoological operations.
Macaroni penguins are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List due to their species’ survival being threatened by climate change and overfishing.
Anyone who wants to submit names for the macaronis can do so on the aquarium’s website through midnight Wednesday. Everyone who submits a name gets entered into a contest to win four penguin encounter tickets and four general admission tickets. You can receive extra entries in the drawing by voting on names throughout the contest.
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