Downtown Mobile’s Gulf Coast Exploreum has four new residents this week, and they are not shy about making an entrance. Mooshu, Cranberry, Ninja and Jelly, a quartet of African penguins on loan from the Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, arrived at the science museum and will call it home through January as part of a new exhibit called Penguin Planet.
Warm-Weather Birds With a Cool Trick
Visitors might assume penguins need icy conditions, but these particular birds are native to the coast of South Africa, one of roughly 17 penguin species worldwide, about half of which live in temperate or even hot climates. Rather than relying on cold air, African penguins regulate their body temperature through the bare pink patches of skin around their eyes, which help them shed excess heat.
The Exploreum built the birds an indoor habitat complete with artificial rock formations, ramps, a pool for diving and swimming, and a private hut for each penguin. The four are paired into two mated couples, Mooshu with Cranberry and Ninja with Jelly, since the species mates for life. Staff say there is already some indication that one of the females may be preparing a nest.
An Endangered Species Far From Home
According to Stefanie Link, a caretaker with the Gulfarium who traveled with the birds to Mobile, the penguins range in age from four to nine years old. In professional care, African penguins can live to around 30 years, more than double their typical lifespan in the wild, where many do not survive much past their teens.
The species faces serious threats in its native range, largely tied to human activity. Poachers have long harvested guano, the nutrient-rich droppings that once formed thick layers along the coastline and served as prime nesting material, prized commercially as a fertilizer. With natural guano deposits stripped away, wild penguins are increasingly forced to nest in the open, leaving eggs and chicks more exposed to predators and harsh weather. Exploreum officials said the birds are currently dying off in South Africa at a rate of about 90 per week, a statistic organizers hope the exhibit will help publicize. Conservation groups such as the Dyer Island Trust have been distributing artificial nesting shelters to help offset the loss of natural guano nests.
A Local Experience With Rules
Despite the sobering conservation backdrop, museum staff say the penguins have already become a hit with visitors. The birds will remain behind protective viewing areas, and there will be no public petting or holding, both for the animals’ well-being and visitor safety. Exploreum staff plan to host a viewing area where caretakers will speak about the penguins’ natural history and current struggles, along with occasional enrichment activities such as bubble-blowing sessions supervised entirely by trained handlers.
Penguin Planet opens to the public on Friday, July 4, and is included with regular museum admission at the Gulf Coast Exploreum in downtown Mobile.