March 23, 2023
Provided Image/Adventure Aquarium
Adventure Aquarium in Camden is asking the public to help name its newest little blue penguin chick. Voters must choose between Taz, Irwin, Heath and Ralph.
Tater Tot, the little blue penguin chick born at Adventure Aquarium on Feb. 15, has an unnamed younger cousin to play with.
The male hatchling was born to parents Maremma and Bloke on Feb. 25, just 10 days after Sheila and Spud welcomed Tater Tot, who was named by the Camden aquarium's bird and mammal team. This time, the aquarium is turning to the public to name its newest bundle of joy.
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Animal lovers can cast their votes for the new baby's name online through noon on Thursday, March 30. The options are Taz, Irwin, Heath and Ralph.
Tater Tot's mother, Sheila, and the new chick's father, Bloke, are siblings, making the aquarium's first two chicks of the breeding season cousins.
Adventure Aquarium's new baby penguin chick with parents Maremma and Bloke.
Nicknamed "fairy penguins," little blue penguins are the smallest penguin species in the world, with an average height of 13 inches and average weight of just 3 pounds. In the wild, they can be found along the coastlines and inshore waters of southern Australia and New Zealand. The species is known for its slate-blue plumage.
Adventure Aquarium's little blue penguins can be seen in Zone A, where visitors can watch their feedings up-close every day, but the new chicks are not currently on display with their families.
Instead, the babies are spending time growing out their blue, water-proof feathers for swimming and learning how to grab fish from the aquarium's biologists. Tater Tot and his cousin will rejoin the colony on exhibit in about six weeks.
"(T)he cuteness is well worth the wait!" Adventure Aquarium wrote on Instagram.
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