Camden’s Adventure Aquarium welcomes baby African penguin, asks public to name him

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Adventure Aquarium in Camden is welcoming the latest addition to its African penguin colony with a naming contest that will raise money for the critically endangered species.

The 53rd chick to be born at the aquarium, known now as 53, hatched on Nov. 21. He joined two other chicks, Duffy and Oscar, that were born at the beginning of November.

African penguins live on the coast of South Africa and Namibia, amid sandy beaches and warm weather. The species was reclassified as critically endangered in October 2024 by the International Union of the Conservation of Nature, due in large part to people overfishing and depleting penguins’ food supplies.

The aquarium’s exhibit for its more than 30 African penguins mimics their environment in South Africa, said Maddie Olszewski-Pohle, a biologist who works with the African penguins at the aquarium.

“We also have pool access for them at all times, so they can swim and act out their natural behaviors,” she said. “And we like to recreate those temperatures in the pool as well, so we will vary the temperatures in the pool for them.”

Oscar, Duffy and 53 are learning how to eat food from the staff at the aquarium and get on a scale. At 3 months old, their waterproof feathers will come in and they will start swimming. At that point, the three penguins will join the larger colony.

So far, Olszewski-Pohle said that each of the chicks have started to exhibit their own personalities. Duffy is “a big talker,” she said, and is also “very, very smart,” picking up on training quickly. Oscar is a little more timid, and can be a little “grouchy,” Olszewski-Pohle said.

She said that 53 is still learning from his fellow chicks. In a recent outing at the aquarium, he toddled behind the slightly bigger chicks and snuggled close as he observed his surroundings.

The naming contest, which launches Monday, invites aquarium visitors to vote for one of four names — Scrappy, Zero, Flounder and Toothless —  via a donation to conservation partner, SANCCOB. Donation boxes and voting will take place onsite.

Aquariums and zoos play a vital role in conserving endangered species and raising awareness about conservation efforts, Olszewski-Pohle said.

“Not many people have the opportunity to get out to South Africa and see penguins,” she said. “And if you don’t know about something, you can’t really care about it … So we’re able to bring awareness to these species and help protect them, as well as that third chick there, he’s going to help be a great ambassador to his species and help us raise money to help his wild counterparts in South Africa.”

In addition to visiting the aquarium and participating in the naming contest, Olszewski-Pohle said anyone who wants to help African penguins can use websites, such as Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, to find sustainable seafood.