The penguins didn't "march" to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, but they are making a big splash in their new year-round outdoor exhibit near the entrance to Safari Africa.

The zoo's newest residents are African penguins, endemic to mainly offshore islands and a few mainland sites on South Africa's coast. Their new home at the zoo is designed to reflect architectural and waterfront elements of Boulders Beach near Cape Town in South Africa, a popular tourist attraction where penguins reside which has become a suburban area and public beach.

The new penguin exhibit, known as Penguin Beach, features a white sand beach, a large pool for swimming and play, a gift shop and night house designed to look like colorful beach front properties and cabanas around Cape Town, and traditional vegetation including flowering African plants and palm trees. Aviary staff and volunteers will offer an educational talk and penguin feeding twice daily to engage guests while the birds feed, swim, waddle and play.



FUN FACTS ABOUT OUR NEW FRIENDS


  • The African Penguin, Spheniscus demersus, is a bird of many names. It's also known
    as the Blackfoot penguin and the Jackass Penguin (after its donkey-like braying call).
  • Average size is 24-28 inches; and average weight is 7 lbs.
    • The African Penguin lives in colonies on 24 islands
    between Namibia and Port Elizabeth (Africa).
  • Penguins are birds that cannot fly, but penguins swim very well and spend most of their lives
    in the sea.
  • African penguins can swim at a speed of about
    4.3 to 15 miles per hour (7-24 kph).
  • For more information on African Penguins
    click here.
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