Meet: Dingo!

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium’s newest King penguin chick has been introduced to the rest of the colony for the first time ahead of World Penguin Day on Sunday.  

 

Usually one of the more quiet and reserved penguin species, the King Penguins were clearly excited for their first meeting with the chick! The birds can be seen making a beeline for the fluffy brown chick and singing loudly as they go.

 

The chick hatched in February and has been separated from the colony in a crèche until now along with parents Ernie and Hudson, who have both been doting on their baby during what is known as the “guard phase”.  

 

SEA LIFE Melbourne is also revealing the name of the Penguin chick following an online naming competition. The gender of the chick born in the Aquarium’s 9^th successful King Penguin breeding season has not been determined yet, but the team has chosen the name Dingo!

 

“As soon as we saw that someone had suggested the name Dingo, we knew it was the one. Ernie is the name of the chick’s mother so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to homage to Ernie Dingo, one of Australia’s most famous actors and presenters,” said Rosemary Collins, Penguin Keeper at SEA LIFE Melbourne.

 

Dingo has grown from 221 grams to 8.5 kgs since February, but it won’t be until early next year that he or she loses their fluffy brown feathers and is ready to swim.