A Boy Named Sue

Possibly, we left the best experience for last. Inside West Edmonton Mall is a small aquarium called Marine Life. We spent the afternoon with the penguins.

There are 19 African black-footed penguins in the aquarium, and we met them all today! They have an experience called "Penguins on Parade", that they normally do two times a day, but since it was Spring Break here, they had a different schedule. Luckily, they fit us in, and mom and I had a special experience this afternoon.

We started by preparing the food for the penguins. They eat capelins which are small fish from the smelt family that they get from the North Atlantic, specifically off the coast of Nova Scotia. They had to be rinsed, and then sorted through to find any irregularities. Michelle told us that if it didn't look like we would want to eat it, it isn't right for the penguin. Um, I didn't want to eat any of it, but I did jump right in and handle all those slimy fish! As you all know, I HATE to get my hands dirty, or sticky, or slimy, so this was huge. And then (AND THEN), we had to stuff some of the fish with vitamins. Penguins at Marine Life take 2 multivitamins and they have to be hidden INSIDE the fish. You pop one behind each gill and shove it down. So gross.

Then we went in to the penguin habitat, and helped feed them. Their habitat is actually the display, so lots of people had their faces pressed against the glass watching.  No matter how amazing you think being with penguins might be, it was better. 

Sophia

Tweeblik

Michelle fed them, while I recorded who ate, and how much. Mom was tasked with sort of herding the penguins from around us. They are allowed to walk all around, but, for instance, not chew on our pants! I was wearing floral jeans, and Tweeblik was fairly enamored with them. They don't want to "teach" bad behavior, so Mom just gently herded her away. Sort of. Tweeblik has a stubborn streak that reminded me of Winnie Foster!

They eat several times a day, which is why the feeding schedule is kept. A few penguins had one or two, but some ate a whole lot. Channel ate like 6 (plus her vitamins!).  As you can see in the picture above, they have small tags on their flippers which is the naming convention. For instance, the one in the foreground has an orange, and blue band. That is Yeti. The tags are colored zip ties which are super loose. The trainers didn't really need them though. Each penguin has distinct spots on their stomachs, and pretty unique personalities too.

After the feeding, we went with another trainer, Sarah, and the day just got better. We learned a little bit more about the penguins, and then we got to hold them!!! One of the things we learned was about Skadu.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but Skadu has a curved beak. It's a trait that is in his family (his father's name was Toucan), and could be deadly in the wild. The top of his beak curves over the bottom one, making it hard for him to eat. At Marine Life they can sand it down (sort of like dog's toenails) if it gets too long. They will only breed Skadu and his sister with other penguins that don't have that trait in their bloodline. There's a specific name, but neither of us can remember! It has to do with the over-growth of the keratin. 

Skadu was just a little love. He and his twin, Tweeblik, were rejected by their parents (twins are rare), and they were raised by the trainers, and have an affinity for people. If Skadu could have taken Sarah back to a nest with him, he would have! He was also very pleasant with us. We got to first pet him, and then we got to hold him on our laps. 

A-mazing! He was such a good penguin, and it was magical to interact with him. Before he went back to the habitat, we went on a little parade. If you say his name, and walk in front of him, he follows!! Apparently they take parades around the mall every now and then. Skadu can walk the length in an hour (his sister in about 45 min!). How adorable would that be to see?

And then we met Doug. A boy named Sue, or a girl named Doug. Penguins usually lay their first eggs around the age of four. Until recently, that's how they determined the sex, as a blood test wasn't available. When Doug didn't lay an egg at four  or five years, they assumed they had gotten the name right, and he really was a boy. And then, around 18 years later, SHE laid her first egg at age 22. African penguins live to be around 15 years old in the wild, but can live upwards of 30 years in captivity. They don't know why she didn't lay for that long, as she's perfectly healthy, but Doug is a girl. She's also quite the painter. ;)

This was such a special day. I held a penguin!!!  Maybe I'll go back to school and be a zoologist. ;)

Tomorrow is our travel day. As much as I have loved the snow, I am ready to go home where it will be a lot warmer. We woke up to a blizzard today, and a balmy 10 degrees. Plus my body is starting to reject the cold and the dry. I'm past lotion in to a state of chapped coldness.  The only way to be warm is to jack up the seat warmer in the car. LOL!

Tune in tomorrow for our Best Of list!