[1/5] A new emperor penguin chick stands on a surface at SeaWorld in San Diego, California, U.S., in this handout image released to Reuters on October 25, 2023.
Kyle Williams/Seaworld San Diego/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - SeaWorld San Diego has welcomed the hatching of an emperor penguin for the first time in 13 years, announcing on Wednesday that the female chick came out of its shell with help from zoo staff on Sept. 12.
Some 300 penguins of several species live in the zoo's penguin habitat, but SeaWorld staff took special pride in the emperor hatching, said Melissa Ramsey, SeaWorld's supervisor of birds who helped hatch the penguin.
The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the biggest of all penguin species, and can reach 3.7 feet (1.15 meter) in height and weigh up to 99 lb (45 kg), according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Unlike other species that produce multiple eggs a year, the emperor female lays only one egg once a year, Ramsey said in a telephone interview.
Persons:
Kyle Williams, Handout, Justin Brackett, Melissa Ramsey, Ramsey, Brackett, Astrid, Daniel Trotta, Sandra Maler
Organizations:
Reuters, Seaworld, REUTERS Acquire, SeaWorld, World Wildlife Fund, WWF, Thomson
Locations:
SeaWorld, San Diego , California, U.S, Seaworld San Diego, SeaWorld San Diego, Antarctica