Tag Archives: penguin

Visit to Melbourne Aquarium

Emporer penguin on scales

Many humans are watching our weight after the indulgent Christmas and New Year Period. And at the Melbourne Aquarium, we are watching the weight of the Emporer penguins too! The penguin keepers need to monitor the health of their charges and keep a record of the weight of each bird, so they leave the scales in the enclosure to allow the penguins to become used to the equipment. Each bird has a unique pattern of coloured wing tags to identify it, although it is very difficult to identify male and female penguins without a DNA test. Part of the penguin exhibit was a recreation of an Antarctic ice-core, showing how scientists can identify different periods in the earth’s history, using samples from the compacted ice. Measurement of the gas concentrations in small bubbles within the ice has shown the increase in carbon dioxide during the Industrial Revolution, a trend that continues today.

Other interesting animals we found at the aquarium were the huge manta rays, beautiful green turtles, phosphorescent jelly ‘fish’, weedy and leafy sea-dragons, camouflaged and poisonous lionfish, baby hammerhead sharks, a gigantic murray cod and colourful reef fish. The Melbourne Aquarium has an iPhone app which allows you to access heaps of fun facts and cool images of their amazing underwater animals, taking you on a journey through the aquarium’s four exciting worlds; Antarctica, Weird and Wonderful, River to Reef and Sharks Alive.