Montreal's Espace pour la vie museum network has announced the birth of a king penguin chick at the Montreal Biodome. Its mother laid the egg on December 29 and the chick hatched on February 1.
But don't expect to see the fuzzy grey chick anytime soon. It and its mother are currently bonding in a secluded section of the biodome's subantarctic habitat. Even zookeepers are staying away in order to not disturb the delicate process underway.
A king penguin chick and its mother at the Montreal Biodome. Claude Lafond | Courtesy of Espace pour la vie
A king penguin chick and its mother at the Montreal Biodome. Éric Charette | Courtesy of Espace pour la vie
The chick won't be ready for public presentation until it's about two months old, Espace pour la vie says. It will take about a year for it to fully develop water-repellent plumage and start diving with the other penguins in the habitat.
A king penguin chick and its mother at the Montreal Biodome. Claude Lafond | Courtesy of Espace pour la vie
In the meantime, the museum says the chick is snuggled on top of its mother's feet under her abdominal fold.
A king penguin chick sits on top of its mother's feet under her abdominal fold.Courtesy of Espace pour la vie
The chick was born to two penguins who transferred from the Calgary Zoo in the summer of 2020.