Georgia Aquarium Welcomes First Penguin Chick

Happy Penguin Awareness Day! Georgia Aquarium is excited to announce the arrival of this year's first-born African penguin chick.

The 11-day-old chick hatched on Jan. 9 and is the newest addition to the African penguin colony. It is the 25th chick to successfully hatch at Georgia Aquarium as a part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Species Survival Plan.

The chick weighed 74 grams, or about 2.5 ounces, when first hatched, and was up to more than 340 grams, or 12 ounces, at its most recent weigh in. The penguin chick is growing well, but still has plenty of important milestones ahead. The new chick is currently on the penguin habitat with its parents. In a few weeks, it will be time to wean from its parents and start eating whole fish.

Penguin Awareness Day will be celebrated at Georgia Aquarium on Saturday, January 23.