Saturday 9 August 2014

Humboldt Penguin Moulting 2014

IMG_2498-001 - CopyIt’s that time of year again when the Humboldt Penguins here at the park are going through their ‘Catastrophic Annual Moult’. 

This is a natural process that all penguins go through once year where they moult and lose all their old brown feathers and then will grow a beautiful brand new set afterwards.

Some of the penguins have now finished moulting and are looking very handsome in their new black and white plumage, whereas some of the others are still looking very bald, pink and scruffy!

During the moult their bodies also swell up and they get extra grouchy so the keepers are having to be extra careful not to get pecked!

Here are some photos of the penguins to show how different they are all looking at the moment:

IMG_2456-001
IMG_2463-001
IMG_2468-001
IMG_2474-001

Finally we have our oldest and most famous penguin who is looking a little on the scruffy side at the moment- Dippy:

DSC_0391 - Copy

No comments:

Post a Comment