Posts tagged "penguin"

Is there a new viral trend of people so emotionally overwhelmed by animal encounters that they burst into tears? Last week, actress Kristen Bell had a mini-breakdown after meeting a baby sloth who was literally too cute to handle. Now this Redditor's wife is crying with joy when her favorite animal, a penguin, gives her a hug on her birthday during an encounter at Sea World.

How about you, dear Paw Nation reader? Is there a certain animal to which you feel such a connection that you'd cry if you ever got to meet one?

Everyone's standing around giggling at Bryn because they think it's so cute how she desperately wants to play with that penguin. "Oh, if only I could swim in the sea," they think she thinks. What they don't realize is that that penguin totally stole Bryn's wallet, and it's mercilessly taunting her right to her face. No wonder she's flipping out.

Ever dreamed of naming a baby penguin? Wow, really? That's weird. That's a really specific dream. But we're not here to judge you; we're here to help make your weirdly specific dream come true!

A Humboldt penguin chick was born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in January, and there is a contest to name the baby bird. Read the rules and guidelines for the naming contest here and submit your names here. Good luck!

It's Monday morning, Paw Nation. Time to get up, brave the snow and go back to work!

Mondays, am I right??

After a slight delay, winter has finally struck. Well, that all depends on where you live in the U.S. Here in Southern California, winter never really strikes. But if you live in Fargo, you've likely been doing some shoveling lately. We know it's a bummer to have that obnoxious chore added to your morning commute, but not everyone hates snow so much. These zoo penguins look forward to it all year, for example. You can tell they're excited because of how chatty they are about it. So the next time you skid off the road and barely miss thwacking into a telephone pole, remember that someone out there is loving this marshmallow world.

We're tired of dogs getting all the credit for being the loyal pets who fetch your newspaper and your slippers. They're not the only ones who can do that, jack! Why not get yourself a penguin? Who knows what else those little buggers can accomplish?

This one's for anyone who's really excited about "Happy Feet Two" but can't wait for next week to get a penguin fix. You're welcome.

Remember last week when we wondered what could cause penguins to engage in a slap fight? We think we just found the prequel to that video.

Pity the cute animal! It can't be so easy being adorable all the time. Everyone wants to feel like a "tough guy" every once in a while, and it's difficult to pull that off when everyone's always cooing over your goofy appearance and silly walk. "Yeah, that's right, it looks like I'm wearing a tuxedo. Ha ha, very funny!" Sometimes when you wanna look tough, you gotta act tough. You've been talking a real big game in the colony about how nobody can mess with you, so you're gonna look like a real chump if you let those humans start poking around with their cameras and making you like a fool. Better give 'em what-for. Better show 'em who's boss. Better show 'em what penguinism is really all about! Now who looks like a fool, Mr. Falling-Down Guy?

Sure, "March of the Penguins" was a great penguin movie -- it was educational and touching and beautiful. But, come on, you have to admit that "Happy Feet" was pretty much the greatest penguin movie of all time. They sang! And danced! It's no wonder these penguins wanted to get together to reinact one of the scenes. It's like our friends at Daily Squee say: A human flash mob is cool, but penguins are a million times better.

The cold weather sure makes us reluctant to leave the house, but the Bronx Zoo's Magellanic penguins, Danny and Hugo, saw New York City's recent snowfall as the perfect excuse to burn off some energy!

Magellanic penguins are native to Southern Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands, where mated, monogamous couples live within large groups. However, commercial fishing and habitat pollution has put these creatures in danger.

The Wildlife Conservation Society is working hard to protect breeding sites and manage penguin populations in Coastal Patagonia. If you're looking for a way to help out the penguins, consider signing up for the third annual Run for the Wild 5k run/walk (waddlers are welcome!), taking place Apr. 30 at the zoo.

There's nothing cuter than baby animals. And though puppies and kittens are beyond adorable, haven't you wondered what other, more exotic animals look like when they're young? Like an aardvark? Or a red panda? The recently published "ZooBorns" includes pictures of a variety of zoo and aquarium newborns from around the world.

Based on the ZooBorns website, the book series melds cuteness with wildlife conservation education, with 10 percent of the books' revenue going to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund. Check out the gallery of images below for a sampling of cute babies from the book. We bet you won't be able to stop saying, "Awww!"

We all have our favorite animals, but some species need our help more than others. Are you ready to lend a paw?

Tiger
It's hard to imagine a more iconic and recognizable species than the tiger. They are top predators, keeping the food chain balanced. Tigers are famous for their strength and power, reportedly covering up to 10 meters in a single horizontal leap. Yet only 3,200 tigers may be left in the wild, and their original roaming areas have decreased by 40 percent in the past ten years.

Deforestation and poaching are the chief culprits behind the tigers becoming endangered mammals. You can help by contributing to the Save the Tiger fund, a program of the National Fish and Wildlife Federation.

Magellanic Penguin
Penguins: Their social nature and waddling gait endears them to animal lovers worldwide. Unfortunately, 12 of the 17 penguin species are experiencing population declines. Why? Magellanic penguins, which live in South American waters, have faced a host of obstacles -- first, oil spills, and more recently, a loss of the fish they eat due to rising temperatures of ocean water.

Defenders of Wildlife sponsors a program which enables you to adopt a penguin, with funds going towards programs to help this endangered species.

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the web each week!

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  Phew, Chihuahua

  15 chihuahuas get pardoned from certain death to come to the Big Apple, and man, are they shivering. [via AP]

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  Mice Own Droids

  Can't you sit down with us to have a nice meal of cheese without checking that thing a million times? [via Arstechnica]

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  Bisexu-ill Penguin

  Most penguins choose a mate for life. Not Harry. But now that he's sick, which of his lovers gets visitation rights? [via People Pets]

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  Yip/Bark

  Ear implants for dogs? What's next, testicle implants for neutered dogs? Ha! Wait, they have those too? [via morningsun.net]

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  Future Gyro Stand

  This Aussie lady is on the lamb. Get it? Sorry, it's hard to make lamb puns. Oh yeah, she owns 27 of them. [via heraldsun.com.au]

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the Web each week!

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  New Year's Barkin' Eve

  These pets are ready to party! Look through these photos to find pictures of animals as ready for 2010 as they are totally wasted. [via People Pets]

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  Rescue, Ubu, Rescue!

  A dog saves his owners life by--you guessed it--scratching at the door. Yawn. In 2010, someone needs to teach a dog to use a defibrillator. [via MyFoxWausau.com]

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  Manners, Mischa

  When Mischa Barton was denied access to Whole Foods for her dog, for once, a celebrity was treated like a normal person. [via NY Daily News]

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  Gorilla Birthday Miracle

  Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Colo, the oldest gorilla in captivity. Happy birthday to you. Oh, and happy new year.[via LATimes.com]

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  Oh, Holy Penguin

  For the first time in five years, a king penguin is born at Edinburgh Zoo. Failure to impregnate king penguins is so 2009! [via TimesOnline.co.uk]