KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) — The Kansas City Zoo is home for eight fluffy new macaroni penguin chicks.
Zookeepers are raising the chicks by hand, which includes giving each of them up to six feedings a day of a mixture of herring, krill and vitamins.
The food is working, as the chicks continue to gain weight, the zoo said. They averaged only 92 grams at birth but are gaining 10% to 15% of their body weight every day. They'll eventually grow to be about 10 pounds and 2 feet tall.
The chicks are expected to go on exhibit at the zoo in the next few weeks.
Macaroni penguins are listed as vulnerable to extinction. They get their name from the the bright yellow crest of feathers above their eyes because in the 18th century, a gentleman who wore flashy feathers in his cap was known as a “macaroni,” the zoo said.
Zookeepers are raising the chicks by hand, which includes giving each of them up to six feedings a day of a mixture of herring, krill and vitamins.
The food is working, as the chicks continue to gain weight, the zoo said. They averaged only 92 grams at birth but are gaining 10% to 15% of their body weight every day. They'll eventually grow to be about 10 pounds and 2 feet tall.
The chicks are expected to go on exhibit at the zoo in the next few weeks.
Macaroni penguins are listed as vulnerable to extinction. They get their name from the the bright yellow crest of feathers above their eyes because in the 18th century, a gentleman who wore flashy feathers in his cap was known as a “macaroni,” the zoo said.