Posts tagged "penguins"

"OK, you guys. I'm sure I don't have to explain our situation in too much detail. We're here to write 'Back to the Ocean, Part VIII,' and we're faced with an audience that has franchise fatigue. 'Back to the Ocean 7: Lampreys on the Loose' was a box-office bomb that's expected to only just barely recoup its modest budget after the international and home-video releases. Now, the studio was screaming for a reboot, but I convinced them to give us one more chance, to let us make one more film in this series and give it the send-off it deserves before anyone takes it out of our hands for a remake or a reboot or a reimagining."

"We have a pretty small budget, but I think we can use that to our advantage. The last few films got off track with special effects and splashy scenes with no emotional core. I think we need to get back to the heart that made the first movies so popular! I think this time, as a twist, instead of telling the story of an animal who gleefully returns to its ocean home, this movie's character... doesn't want to go back to the ocean! We'll fill the plot with lots of hand-wringing and angst and ennui, all that stuff that audiences hate but critics eat up! No one's going to see the movie anyway, but at least in the years to come, movie snobs will say that this last movie is actually the best one we ever made!"

"Oh, and this time, let's just use a penguin again. I don't know how we thought the public could think lampreys were cute. That was really stupid."

"The Hangover Part II" roared into theaters a couple of weeks ago, and despite come criticism that it was a formulaic retread of the first film, America went out in huge numbers to see it. That's because sometimes it pays to stick with what works. What the sequel might lack in originality, it makes up for in delivering huge laughs. That's what the audience wanted, and that's what they got.

This is all by way of saying that I know this video is basically the exact same thing as "Baby Seal Released Back to the Ocean," which we posted exactly a month ago today. But so what? The narrative might be familiar, but that doesn't make it any less heartwarming. It doesn't make it any less adorable when the little fella can't believe his good fortune in being set free. It won't make your heart soar any less sky-high to watch him return gloriously to the crashing ocean waves. Personally, I'll never get sick of seeing any baby animal finally be able to go home after having its life saved. And hey, if you're a penguin fan, you may like this video even more than the "original." So please enjoy "Wildlife Rehab: Back to the Ocean, Part II: Penguin Edition."

Everyone knows that in the modern age, the British royal family is essentially a powerless decoration, but that doesn't mean there's an end to the list of things they get that you and I can never have. Case in a point: a baby endangered penguin. We can say with almost 100-percent certainty that nobody reading this ever received that for a wedding gift.

Yet a baby Humbolt penguin named Acorn is exactly what the Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England gave to the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Prince William and Kate Middleton). Of course, Acorn will not actually live with Willy and Kate, but instead will continue its residence at the Chester Zoo. That takes some of the fun out of adopting a penguin, but goes a long way in making sure the penguin stays alive and happy.

The Chester Zoo used social networks to allow its followers to choose which of the zoo's 400 species should be gifted to the royal couple. With more than 20 percent of the total vote, Acorn handily beat out Rothschild giraffes, African painted dogs, royal starlings, a grey crowned crane and a black rhinoceros.

"It's a real honor to be able to boast Prince William and Kate as penguin adopters," a zoo spokesperson said in a press release. "And hopefully the happy couple will come and see little Acorn playing in his pool very soon." We're sure they will, as soon as they're back from their honeymoon.

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.

In the South Atlantic's Falkland Islands, a couple of penguins were faced with a challenge: how to walk on water. Well, not water, per se, but a puddle. Penguins must like to keep clean, considering their reluctance to slosh through a rivulet between patches of grass.

Well, now we know who's getting wellies for their birthdays!



More Funny Animal Videos

You might think that as an animal ambassador for SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove -- not to mention having traveled to the jungles of Africa, Borneo, Southeast Asia and Australia -- Julie Scardina would have seen it all. But as it turns out, there was something else out there: Antarctica.

AOL's Good News Now (GNN) reports that on her first visit to the icy continent, Scardina and close to 100 other passengers, including an AOL journalist, witnessed hundreds of emperor penguins and their chicks in their native habitat. A sight that none of them will soon forget. The interview with Scardina took place as "a thousand Emperors, chicks and adults, were gathered nearby."

Anxious to learn more and see the gorgeous photo gallery? Head on over to GNN for the full story!

Q: What did the baby penguin say to the other baby penguin?

Well, we don't know. We don't speak Penguinese. But we're fairly certain that whatever this snuggly twosome from Daily Squee is discussing, it's cute. Maybe it's a debate about who has the fuzziest belly, or the most adorable waddle. Maybe they're talking about the time they had a belly-slide race down their favorite snowy hillock. Or maybe they're wondering why that human over there with the camera can't stop squeeing.

Weigh in, Paw Nation. Tell us what you think our penguin pals are talking about.

This special moment between an emperor penguin and its chick is über adorable, but are you aware of the odds this little fella had to overcome to make it to this point?

The Antarctic winters during which penguin eggs are laid can see wind chills as low as -76 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperatures are so frigid that if the egg is allowed to rest on the cold ice, the chick will not survive, according to National Geographic. A female leaves its egg with a male for about two months while she travels up to 50 miles to hunt for food, which she will regurgitate upon returning to feed her newly hatched chick.

The males, with their eggs carefully balanced on their feet and hidden within their brood pouches, huddle together and take turns warming up in the middle of the pack, then working their way back to the outer ring so others can warm up. By the time the female returns, the male has lost half his body weight, according National Geographic.

The mama then takes her turn with the chick, continuing to protect it from the elements with her brood pouch. If the chick is exposed for more than a few minutes, it could be fatal.

But all the difficulty is totally worth it when a moment like this is captured. Right?

The South Korean penguins might not have much in the way of soccer skills, but that hasn't stopped their coach for putting them on the field. The 11 flightless footballers can be found wearing the national team colors at the Everland aquarium, located about an hour outside of Seoul.

The penguins' trainer, Lee Kwang-hee, hopes this spirited group of admittedly wobbly players will inspire the South Korean team to reach the next round at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, as you'll see in the video below from the New York Post.

What do you think Paw Nation? Is this a charming display of national spirit or should these animals have been left to romp and play without tiny jerseys and balls?



More Animal Videos

What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Laura Dray
Age: 33
Job: Aviculturist/Penguin Keeper at SeaWorld Orlando

What education is required to be a penguin keeper?
I have a biology degree, but you can also do animal sciences or zoology. There's actually a zoo teaching school in Gainesville, Fla.

What qualities do you admire in penguins?
They have a great little personality. They're not graceful on land -- they're meant for swimming in the water -- so they'll do a little waddle and sometimes they'll do some tobogganing. They'll trip a lot too, so it's walk, walk, walk, and then right on their stomach.

Do the penguins ever come home with you?
We do bring them home as chicks if the parents aren't feeding them enough or if there aren't any foster penguin parents to raise the chicks. They're with us for about two weeks. Last year, I had a king penguin named Ludwig. He was three days old when I took him home. He had a single mom. We don't know who the dad was. We take them home because they need to be fed every three-and-a-half to four hours.

Well no, he's not the next Picasso. But Blue Blue, an African penguin living at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, is still quite the little artiste, if we may say so ourselves. It may be fair to say, however, that he's the Picasso of penguins.

Here's how the artist works: Non-toxic paint is applied to the feet of the one-year-old webbed wonder, who then waddles around, creating art to be sold on the aquarium's website. The 16-inch-by-20-inch paintings are double-matted in white with black inner trim and encased in a black wood frame. Available in two three-color combinations -- dark red, blue and green and purple, blue and green -- the works (being sold at under $125) will give a portion of the earnings to the penguin conservation efforts both in Mystic and across the world.

It's just another love story. Girl meets boy, girl loves boy, girl leaves boy, girl loves boy again. Except in the case of this particular story, the girl happens to be a penguin.

13 years ago, an African penguin arrived at the Allwetterzoo Münster, reports ABC News. While normally penguins will be aggressive toward their keepers, this one, Peter Vollbracht told Spiegel Online, ignored the 80 other penguins and "would just sit on my boot or arm and ask to be petted." Sandy, as he named her, apparently did not believe in playing hard to get: "When I would get to work in the morning, she would be there waiting for me and call out to me. And when we did our daily penguin march for exercise, she would always jump to the front of the line to be next to me." For ten years the couple had their special relationship, and Sandy became somewhat of a celebrity in Germany.

Then Vollbracht got sick and missed six weeks of work, reports ABC News. But "out of sight, out of mind" apparently applies to primarily monogamous penguins. When Vollbracht returned, Sandy had set her sights on Tom, a younger penguin. Sandy and Tom settled down, had a couple of chicks, and then, sadly, Tom died. The newly available Sandy looked around for a new mate and found... Vollbracht. While her keeper points out that she needs a penguin partner to lead a normal life, it seems that some things are just meant to be.

Who says you need to trek on a safari or go to the zoo to catch a candid glimpse of animals? Technology is bringing live feeds from web cams all over the world right to your computer screen. Here are Paw Nation's picks for viewing your favorite species.

Pandamonium
With the birth of a new cub and almost twenty different camera angles, the San Diego's Zoo's Panda Cam puts the spotlight on these fuzzy black and white bears. If you get frustrated by their lack of action check out the time lapse video which recaps the bear's activities by day.

For Lion Lovers
The view of this watering hole at the Nkhoro Bush Lodge in South Africa streams live 24 hours a day. People have spotted lions and hyenas while watching the feed. The bonus? It even has night vision so no matter the time difference, you can still see the action. Plus, they have cameras in other locations, which focus on elephants and flamingos.

Peep at Penguins
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a cool cam installed above their penguin pen. Be sure to tune in at 10:30 am and 3 pm PST, when the birds are fed.

Online Aquarium
The folks at EarthCam joined together with the New England Aquarium to bring you this fishy feed. The featured tank is home to different types of marine life including sharks and sea turtles.

Zootopia
Home of almost 20 different cameras, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park broadcasts from some pretty cool habitats -- everything from an orangutan to an octopus.

Look at these love birds! According to People magazine, "True Blood" co-stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer stepped away from the world of vampires and shape-shifters to explore their softer sides at Sea World in San Diego this past Sunday. The couple, who are romantically linked on and off screen, spent time cuddling with a feathered friend at the Penguin Encounter attraction.

Paquin, who plays Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress, and Moyer, who plays vampire Bill Compton, were in town for an appearance at Comic Con, a comic book and popular arts convention. The second season of "True Blood" is currently airing Sunday nights on HBO.

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This is the story of two male penguins who fell in love and raised a baby together, only to have the fairy tale end with sex, lies, and CNN videotape.

Harry and Pepper are two residents of the San Francisco Zoo's Penguin Island. While penguins tend to swing one way, these two didn't see gender when they fell in love. Their courtship became a newsworthy sensation last year, especially after the zoo's staff donated a penguin egg for the couple to raise as their own.

As with many love stories, this one goes south when another woman came between the two. Recent widower and next door neighbor, Linda, caught the attention of Harry, who soon moved in with her and became a father for the second time around. Where is Jerry Springer when you need him?

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