Posts Tagged ‘penguins’
April 23, 2010 by KellyMorales • Comments Off
Posted in Events, animals, conservation
 If you like penguins, (and really, who doesn’t?), then you will want to head out to see us this weekend. On Sunday, April 25, 2010, SeaWorld San Antonio will celebrate World Penguin Day at the Penguin Encounter from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
We have a lot of activities planned that will include children’s crafts, educational presentations and the opportunity to see Magellanic penguins up close and chat with their keepers. Special “penguin art” will also be on sale with all proceeds to benefit the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. World Penguin Day is a celebration that coincides with the annual northern migration of penguins.
 Minestrone the chinstrap penguin shows off his art piece. The Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld San Antonio is home to penguins representing four sub-Antarctic species including king, gentoo, rockhopper and chinstrap. Most of our penguins swim and waddle in the 36-degree, snow-filled Encounter. Magellanic penguins, a warm-weather species native to Chile and Argentina, can be seen during the presentations.
Can’t make it out on Sunday? You can still celebrate World Penguin Day at home!
Test your knowledge about our feathered and flippered friends by taking our Penguin Poll.
Take a peek at the lives of penguins at SeaWorld.
Witness SeaWorld’s support in the incredible effort to rescue penguins devastated by an oil spill in South Africa.
Send your friends and family a (super cute!) penguin e-card from our Conservation Fund website to wish them a happy World Penguin Day!
Learn just about everything there is to know about penguins and impress your friends with your new penguin IQ.
This new event is sure to delight penguin lovers of all ages. It promises to be black and white and fun all over!
January 21, 2010 by KellyMorales • 1 Comment »
Posted in Adventure Camp, Around the Park, animals
SeaWorld San Antonio becomes such a different place when we’re not open to the public. At first glance it seems peaceful and serene, but once you look a little closer, it is still a bustle of activity!
During winter months, our Aquarium Department has the opportunity to refurbish, enhance and maybe even change the smaller aquariums in our Sharks/The Coral Reef habitat. They also are working on expanding their facilities to propagate and grow very fragile live coral species and build a space to raise frogs.
Even though we are closed and there are not any shows or guests at the community pools, the animal trainers and keepers stay busy as well. They still work with, feed and care for the animals, work on animal behaviors for shows in 2010, welcome guests on the Sea Lion and Beluga Interaction Programs, and now they are busier than ever after the arrival of the killer whale calf on January 7. As the calf swims alongside its mother, the trainers observe and record behaviors such as nursing, breathing, swimming patterns and bonding.
Did you know that it is the middle of summer for our penguins? Since penguins are naturally found in the Southern Hemisphere, they are on an “austral” season cycle, which is the opposite of what we experience. If you visited the park in July, you may have noticed that it was dark inside the Penguin Encounter. This is because July is the middle of winter in the Sub-Antarctic, where our species are naturally found. Now that we are in January, the penguins are experiencing their summertime, and are busy caring for their eggs and raising chicks recently born in the habitat.
The Education and Conservation Department is busy as well. Not only are we preparing for camp, tours and school programs for the coming year, but we recently hosted a special Adventure Camp for students from Texas A&M University at Galveston.
We also offer a special tour called Seafari, which gives our guests an opportunity to see the park when it’s not open to the public. If you have ever been curious about seeing what it would be like to visit SeaWorld and have the park to yourself, feed dolphins and sea lions away from the crowds, and get a behind-the-scenes peek at what it is like to care for the animals during our winter months, then click here to begin planning your SeaWorld experience.
December 29, 2009 by KellyMorales • Comments Off
Posted in animals
 Have you ever taken the time to observe an animal? I love to sit and watch animals, and as often as I can, I try to take the time to observe and appreciate the animals around me here at SeaWorld. One of the neatest animals to just sit and watch are the penguins, and believe me, they provide endless enjoyment. Their trademark comical waddle and black and white feather tuxedo are what draw us all in, but they’re more than just funny little animals. These birds are serious survivors that can thrive in Earth’s most extreme weather. In fact, we can learn so much by watching penguins that we may even learn an important lesson or two.
1. Stay true to your commitments and never give up.
Penguins make great parents, endure many hardships and make difficult sacrifices to care for and raise their chicks. Every year, as breeding season begins, many species of penguins leap from their watery homes to travel to their nesting grounds. King and gentoo penguins my walk as far as two miles inland, and chinstrap penguins may nest on rocky slopes up to 1600 feet above sea level. Enduring exhausting travel, extreme weather, starvation, and danger from predators, both male and female penguins take turns guarding the eggs and baby chicks for a period of several months.
As we head into 2010 and prepare for what lies ahead, many of us make resolutions to eat and spend less, exercise more, improve our relationships, and become more responsible. With so many commitments and new experiences along with the uncertainty of the future, we all sometimes can feel discouraged. Take a lesson from the penguins, and remember that sometimes it is important to keep going, even if it means you have to slide around on your belly for awhile.
2. Work as a team
 In the case of emperor penguins, working as a team is critical. It is a matter of survival. Emperor penguin breeding season is in the middle of the winter in Antarctica. These penguins do not build nests; rather they balance their one egg on the top of their feet. They huddle together to stay warm as a defense mechanism against the cold. As they huddle, the penguins move in a circular pattern so that everyone has a turn on the inside as well as the outside. Teamwork is such an important skill. When people work together, progress is made. We achieve goals and get things done more efficiently. When one person doesn’t pull their weight, it affects everyone around them.
3. Be loyal
Penguins are monogamous per breeding season. In other words, they remain in the same pair for the season, and if they can find the same mate next year, they will pair up again. Loyalty is one of the greatest qualities a person can possess in any type of relationship. Commitment, faithfulness, and the desire to be there for that person no matter what is a trait that is not only hard to find in people but it’s also hard to do. Stay loyal to your friends and family.
 4. Take a leap of faith
As the penguin chicks grow and begin to develop their feathers, parents continue to care for them, feeding them, and teaching them the basics for survival such as how to swim. Eventually, they grow their waterproof feathers; they enter the water, and become independent from their parents. Sometimes it is important to move on and let go. This week, as we leave 2009 and head into the new year, it is time to take that next step, or leap of faith into a brave new world as these little penguins do with their first courageous leap into the sea.
As we all fledge from 2009 into 2010, never miss an opportunity to be still and observe nature. See it. Appreciate it. Love it. You never know how much you will come away with and learn about yourself in the process.
This year, I would like to resolve to become more like a penguin.
November 23, 2009 by DeandraVilla • Comments Off
Posted in Meet My Friend..., animals
This holiday season there will be new exciting additions in the Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld San Antonio. Penguin breeding season began in September and is now in full swing. I was curious myself to see how the penguins were doing so I took a visit to the Penguin Encounter and spoke with Linda Weisenmiller, an aviculturist who specializes in birds. We bundled up and went into the habitat where I was able to ask her all about the expected penguin chicks.
 A pair of Rockhopper penguins pick their spot in the rookery. They will return to this nest site every year to breed. What kind of penguins breed at the park?
All the cold weather penguins at the park breed, including the King, Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Rockhopper penguins. In the wild, penguins gather small rocks to make a nest, called rookeries, to protect their eggs. When breeding season began, the Penguin Encounter team hauled away snow and provided rocks for the penguins to make their nest. We brought in five tons of rocks for the penguins to comfortably nest.
How do the penguins pick their nest site and mate?
Penguins typically return to the same nest site and mate with the same partner each year. For the most part they are monogamous partners. King penguins are the only exception, they have been known to nest on different sites and choose different mates each year.
 This expecting mother will see her baby chick by early next year. What is the incubation period like here in at the habitat?
The incubation period for the chicks depends on the species of penguin, the larger the penguin the longer the incubation. For example, the Gentoo penguins take on average 36 days to hatch, while the King penguins can take up to 55 days. The penguins lay two eggs each year, except the King penguin, who only lay one. Both the mother and father take responsibility during incubation, sharing the duty.
When can we expect the penguin chicks to hatch?
The first chicks are expected to hatch in December and they will continue to hatch into the new year. This is a very exciting time for the habitat, each breeding season is different and we learn something new each year.
I had a great time at the Penguin Encounter with Linda. Do you have more questions you’re curious about? If you want to learn more about the penguins and their baby chicks, be sure to sign up for a Penguin Up-Close Tour at the park and get a behind-the-scenes look at these amazing animals, or head to the Penguin Encounter during an animal talk, which are noted on the daily schedule on the back of the park map, to find out more.
July 31, 2009 by JenniferBailey • 2 Comments »
Posted in Events, News
Wild, Wet, Wednesday! What a great way to say thank you to our pass members.
If you are a SeaWorld San Antonio annual pass member, plan to come out to Lost Lagoon water park, August 19th from 7 – 9 P.M. and enjoy some free time in the wave pool, lazy river or watch the movie Surf’s Up in Castaway Café while you munch on some popcorn.
Yes, popcorn will be available for this one time event in Lost Lagoon along with most other regular menu items. As always your 10% discount will apply. This special evening is just for you and your family, so enjoy.
This should be fun. My kids are excited!
Your Personal Pass Representative,
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