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High Tech Habitats at the California Academy of Sciences

PetSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:00:48 -0700

Although geeksugar got a sneak peek at the California Academy of Sciences when she attended a video game release party earlier this month, she didn't really get to explore the facility as much as she would have liked to. Thankfully, Wired gave us a behind the scenes look at the high tech penguin habitat, and explained the benefits of running the facility on computers to replicate the light and temperature the penguins would get back in their natural environment.

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I'm excited for the new Academy of Sciences to open this weekend, so I can check out what other animals are hiding behind those closed doors!

Guess What Bird?

PetSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Yes, it's a penguin, but which one (refresh your memory with my species slideshow)?

Five Fun Zoo Cams to Keep You Occupied!

PetSugar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:00:54 -0700

I looooove webcams, and I've got some time to kill before the Fourth of July fun gets started. If you're also sitting around waiting for the food to be grilled, now's a great time to check out some live zoo action. To be fair, I've included a variety of creatures as well as three cams with baby animals . . . ummm, adoro. Go ahead, blow kisses at your screen, I'm not telling.

Lions! My current zoo cam of choice, I love to check in to see what the baby lions are up to. Nevermind that I can't understand a single word on the site except for "live" (as this zoo is all the way in Norway), my glimpses of mama lion canoodling and caring for her four cubs are too precious to pass up.
Giant Pandas! Classic cam with lots of action, check out the Giant Pandas live from the San Diego Zoo. There are seven pandas there which makes spotting at least one fairly likely. And don't forget the other cams of the Apes, Polar Bears, and Elephants afterwards.

See three more webcam suggestions when you

Results: You Made It Quotable!

PetSugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:00:25 -0700

Great job captioning this silly photo! You made it quotable with these clever ideas:

Um, yes, I'll have the herring with the kelp and krill sides. –smistasan

No sir, I did not sign for the package. That is certainly not my signature. I would never order anything from Pengboy. –Kristabelle

Penguin: I think you took a wrong turn at the North Pole . . . –cmichel

Mr. Waddlesworth and his two friends are pulled from the London Zoo's pool to review the rules — Again . . ."No intentional splashing of patrons." —pcollinsb

Check out the rest of your suggestions here.
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Too Cute For Words!

PetSugar — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:00:35 -0700

It’s time to get clever! A picture is worth a thousand words but those messages vary from person to person. I think this picture is laughable, but what do you think of it? Suggest quotes or captions for this photo in your comments below, and I’ll do a roundup next week of some of my faves.

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Happy World Penguin Day!

PetSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:15:36 -0700

That's right – it's another holiday today! In honor of World Penguin Day, I've created a slideshow to teach you a little more about the 17 species of penguins worldwide. Many times, looking at their heads is the easiest way to tell them apart . . . makes sense because that's what we can see when they pop up from swim time! Source

Brrrr, Pierre Penguin Gets His Own Wetsuit!

PetSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:30:11 -0700

Penguins are accustomed to cool waters with their thick layer of blubber and water-resistant feathers keeping them warm. But for Pierre, a 25-year-old African Penguin at the California Academy of Sciences, his feathers weren't holding up to their end of the bargain. For a strange and unknown reason, his protective layer of slick feathers began falling off, causing him to avoid the water and shiver on the sidelines while his pool mates played. Sad. So, how would scientists help him get back in the game? By fitting him with a customized wetsuit of course!

Since wetsuits allow humans to keep warm when diving into cold sea water, why not whip one up to help out a penguin? After making an attempt at warming him with a heat lamp, Pam Schaller, a senior aquatic biologist at the academy, called in the experts from a San Leandro-based dive shop to help get Pierre fitted with his new get-up. The first-of-its-kind suit fastens with Velcro in the rear and accommodates his flippers with openings in the sides. Schaller said:

I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely streamlined.

And good news: thanks to the custom wetsuit, and creative thinking from Pam, Pierre's feathers have started to grow back and he's back in the water!

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This Penguin Cutie Is Only One Week Old!

PetSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:30:56 -0700

I've already got a soft spot for penguins as is and, added to my love for baby animals, the twofer just melted my heart. I mean this is the teeniest lil penguin I've seen in a while, weighing just 85 grams (three ounces). The adoro chick hatched on March 24 at Chester Zoo in England. Dubbed Aero, he was incubated for 46 days by his parents, Warty and Hislop. The zoo hopes that up to 20 other chicks will be born between now and mid-April, as penguins usually lay a clutch of two eggs (and take turns laying on them) – even Aero has a new sibling yet unhatched! The zoo chose "chocolate-themed" names for all the births near Eastertime. See what sweet snack Aero was named for, and some close up shots of the baby, when you

Creature Features: Animals in Antarctica

PetSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:30:29 -0700

When I heard that a chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, I couldn't help but wonder about the animals. I know many creatures call this region home . . . but what do you know about them?

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Globetrotters: Penguins Celebrate Chinese New Year, Too!

PetSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:30:00 -0800

With Chinese New Year celebrations still taking place around the world, I spotted pictures of some penguins getting into the spirit at a zoo in Harbin, China. I'm hoping the little ones didn't have to wear their custom-made costumes much longer than this photo opp, but they do look pretty spiffy all decked out in traditional garb. To see the rest of this family – including a baby penguin wearing a festive red bellyband for this holiday –

Video: Feathers Fly for Baby Penguin Kisses!

PetSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:00:33 -0800

Holy moly — this chick is a cutie! The still unnamed Humboldt penguin was born to Brookfield Zoo residents Allegro and Batata but, for some reason, was too busy being adorable to eat. Because the baby wasn't growing properly, zoo officials removed her (him?) from "The Living Coast" exhibit to hand feed the bird a weight-gain regimen of fish shakes six times a day!

Yes, that's a real ~~live~~ stuffed penguin to make sure the lil one doesn't become too attached to the humans. If you think that's cute, watch the baby kissing the standing stuffy in another video when you