Join our zoo community

Best city for penguins?

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by CMP, 15 Nov 2020.

  1. CMP

    CMP Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    25 Oct 2020
    Posts:
    1,299
    Location:
    Champaign, Illinois
    I was thinking about it, and of the 17 or so species of penguin, seaworld San Diego has 6 and San Diego zoo also has one more. Is San Diego the best city in the world for seeing penguins?
    (To clarify: Best city in this instance would mean the city that has the most species of penguins, but feel free to also mention cities with exceptional penguin exhibits that may not have the most species)
     
  2. jwer

    jwer Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    22 Jan 2007
    Posts:
    1,513
    Location:
    Groningen, Netherlands
    I just counted 8 for Madrid.

    But I would’t be surprised if you could squize one or two more out of Tokio if your not too picky what still counts as Tokio City...
     
    pipaluk and CMP like this.
  3. nczoofan

    nczoofan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2018
    Posts:
    1,466
    Location:
    Texas
    New York has 7 at the WCS zoo's. Magellanic and blue penguins at the Bronx Zoo. African Penguins at the New York Aquarium. King, Gentoo, chinstrap, and macaroni penguin at the Central Park Zoo.
     
    BenFoxster, CMP and TinoPup like this.
  4. Fallax

    Fallax Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Mar 2017
    Posts:
    2,303
    Location:
    Wales
    Whatever city it ends up being, I need to be there ASAP :D
     
    CMP likes this.
  5. TinoPup

    TinoPup Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    17 Jul 2016
    Posts:
    6,553
    Location:
    .
    My list has 8 at San Diego - Emperor (only holder), Adelie (1 of 2 holders), Chinstrap, Macaroni, Magellanic, King, Humboldt, and Gentoo. Then African at SDZ.

    Moody Gardens has 6, and they're the only holder of northern rockhopper in the USA.

    Newport Aquarium has 6.

    Cincinnati and SeaWorld Orlando have 5.

    Detroit, Omaha, SeaWorld San Antonio and Saint Louis has 4.

    Do they no longer have rockhopper?
     
    CMP and snowleopard like this.
  6. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    16 May 2010
    Posts:
    14,735
    Location:
    Wilds of Northumberland
    Yeah, Madrid has a total of eight penguin species across two collections:

    Faunia

    King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
    Western Rockhopper (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome)
    Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)
    Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus)
    Subantarctic Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua papua)
    Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)
    Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)

    Zoo Madrid

    African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
     
    pipaluk, CMP and snowleopard like this.
  7. nczoofan

    nczoofan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2018
    Posts:
    1,466
    Location:
    Texas
    Not as of the last 2 years I believe. The zoo put out a press release earlier this year about its conservation work with penguins and they only listed 7 species.
     
  8. CMP

    CMP Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    25 Oct 2020
    Posts:
    1,299
    Location:
    Champaign, Illinois
    I did not realize Madrid had so many species of penguin, but it doesn't surprise me.

    It seems San Diego and NYC are tied, then? I would say San Diego has the edge with Emperors, but little blues are also nice.
    That's the idea of this form, me too :)
    San Diego only has 7, Sea World does not have magellanic
    "Watch the playful antics of penguins tall and small—nearly 400 in all. Our penguin population includes Emperor and King penguins, and smaller Adelie, Gentoo, Chinstrap and Macaroni penguins."- Penguin Encounter | SeaWorld San Diego

    Unless someone else or I count the Tokyo (include metro area with Yokahama) penguin species, I think San Diego has the edge over NYC with having emperors, but they are tied number wise. It would not surprise me if Tokyo is actually the winner, though.
     
  9. African Grey

    African Grey Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    7 Mar 2014
    Posts:
    205
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I went to SeaWorld San Diego in January and they did have Magellanic Penguins on exhibit. They also have Humboldt Penguins which are kept behind the scenes
     
    CMP and TinoPup like this.
  10. PossumRoach

    PossumRoach Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    23 Feb 2018
    Posts:
    2,606
    Location:
    Munich
    Nagasaki penguin aquarium has 9 species of penguin. (fairy, all three spheniscus, macaroni, unknown/hybridized rockhopper, chinstrap, gentoo, king)

    adventure world also has 8 species (cape, emperor, king, fairy, unknown/hybridized rockhopper, all three pygoscelis). Wakayama city also has humboldt penguins.
     
    snowleopard, CMP and TinoPup like this.
  11. Westcoastperson

    Westcoastperson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    24 Mar 2020
    Posts:
    1,702
    Location:
    -18.529211, -70.249941
    This has already been stated but that is incorrect. Those are the cold water penguins that are located indoors. The Magellanic penguins are in an outdoor exhibit with a few unlisted cormorants (Recues), the exhibit can be found right outside of the penguin encounter building and can be seen on google maps street view. The Humboldts live in an old sea otter exhibits with more unlisted cormorants (also rescued). The exhibit can be seen on google maps to the left of the Shipwreck Rapids Ride (The exhibit is circular with a white triangular tarp over it. There is also a dirt patch on the right outside of the circle where the birds rest). They used to be kept in a sea pen enclosure in the bay right next to the park.
     
    CMP and TinoPup like this.
  12. CMP

    CMP Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    25 Oct 2020
    Posts:
    1,299
    Location:
    Champaign, Illinois
    I did not know about the Humboldt's, but now there is a whole new question about off display :0
    Also, sorry about the magellanics, its been some time since I went to seaworld. That means that San Diego has 8/9 penguin species
    Typical Japan ;) Of course one aquarium has 9, while another has 8. Nagasaki Japan has the most species on display then, with 9, and as far as I can tell no other facilities in Nagasaki hold other species of penguin. I am looking into Tokyo though, with 11+ collections, it is possible Tokyo has more.
     
    Westcoastperson likes this.
  13. Westcoastperson

    Westcoastperson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    24 Mar 2020
    Posts:
    1,702
    Location:
    -18.529211, -70.249941
    Here are some of the photos I have of the exhibit
    IMG_1840.JPG IMG_1840.JPG IMG_1839.JPG IMG_1837.JPG IMG_1836.JPG IMG_1835.JPG IMG_1833.JPG
    The building on the right is the Animal Care hospital/SeaWorld rescue center/food prep area. The large warehouse is the entertainment department.
     
    CMP likes this.
  14. imaginarius

    imaginarius Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23 Sep 2020
    Posts:
    225
    Location:
    St. Louis
    What’s the deal with SeaWorld San Diego’s Emperor Penguins? More specifically, how did they get them? I thought exporting indigenous Antarctic fauna was prohibited by international treaty. And why haven’t they tried to establish other ex-situ breeding populations at other zoos? Their colony is quite large, and emperors are in trouble because of climate change.
     
  15. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jan 2016
    Posts:
    1,972
    Location:
    Land of the 'vark
  16. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jan 2016
    Posts:
    1,972
    Location:
    Land of the 'vark
    African penguin,
    Southern rockhopper penguin,
    Little blue penguin,
    Humbolt penguin,
    Gentoo penguin,
    Magellanic penguin,
    Northern rockhopper penguin

    So only 7 species in Tokyo.
     
    CMP likes this.