Chick this out!
Two penguin chicks take their first plunge at the Mystic Aquarium.
Visitors got their first look at the African chicks, Blue-Purple, 78 days old, and Blue-Black, 77 days old, on Thursday. It's a big day for these babies -- first swim and first meeting with their adoring public.
It was time. The babies are fully weaned and ready to join the colony of penguins.
This is not the chicks' first brush with celebrity. Many people watched their live birth on the aquarium's web cam on January 27 and January 28.
"Learning to swim is the first step, " said Laurie Macha, supervisor of penguins at Mystic Aquarium.
"Penguin chicks tend to float very well, but they must learn to dive and navigate using their wings and feet. Chicks learn quickly, however, and will usually acquire these skills within a day," said Macha.
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The chicks were a little hesitant to jump right in but after careful, gentle guidance from the trainers -- they took off swimming and gliding around the exhibit. And just like human little kids -- they couldn't get enough of it. They jumped out, dried off and jumped back in.
By the end of April, the chicks will be on exhibit a few hours each day.
Thursday marks another milestone for penguins at the aquarium. It is the 1 year anniversary of African penguin Blue-Blue's first swim. Blue-Blue was the first chick to appear on a live Web cam at the aquarium.
For more information on the aquarium's penguin chick Web cam, click here
