The team now has seven members
New members have arrived at the king penguin colony at the Ice World Interactive Exhibition at Nyíregyháza Zoo from Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna. The 5- and 3-year-old birds underwent veterinary examinations and, after a short quarantine period, joined the existing colony.
The colony now consists of seven king penguins, which share the cooled exhibition area with ten rockhopper penguins.
Animal exchanges between zoos are not just for show: they are part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria's (EAZA) coordinated species conservation programs (EEP), which aim to maintain genetic diversity among animals living in captivity.
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest penguin species after the emperor penguin. It can reach a height of 90 centimeters and weigh between 11 and 16 kilograms. It is recognizable by its contrasting black and white plumage and the orange-yellow patches on its head and chest.
The species is concentrated in the sub-Antarctic islands of the Southern Ocean. In these areas, colonies of tens of thousands can form on the flat coastal areas.
The king penguin's lifestyle is strongly linked to oceanic food sources: it mainly feeds on fish, squid, and krill.
Although flightless, king penguins are among the best divers in the bird world. Their bodies are streamlined, their wings have evolved into paddle-like flippers, and their bone structure reduces buoyancy. They usually dive to depths of 100–300 meters, but records of dives exceeding 500 meters have also been documented.
The high oxygen-binding capacity of their blood and muscles (hemoglobin and myoglobin concentration) allows them to stay underwater for long periods of time, even exceeding 10 minutes.
Their black back and white belly provide so-called counter-shading: when viewed from above, they blend into the dark water, and when viewed from below, they blend into the light surface, which reduces the chances of being spotted by predators and prey.
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