It's a girl! Meet Isla, the Newest Rockhopper Penguin Hatched at Shedd

Shedd Aquarium is officially introducing Isla, the newly named rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) to the public. Isla is the newest addition to the colony and the first rockhopper penguin hatched at the aquarium in eight years. Shedd members had the exclusive opportunity to cast their vote for the juvenile penguin’s name as a special benefit of their support to the aquarium.

Using the rockhopper penguins’ native region of the South American coast as inspiration, Shedd’s animal care team selected the following name options in advance, with Isla being the chosen winner:

• Tina – short for Argentina, one of the countries within which the birds make their homes.
• Isla – representative of the many islands off South America’s coast where the birds live and find their food.
• Marion – for Marion Island within the Indian Ocean, one of the specific islands where the birds live.
• Noir – for Noir Island, an island off Chile, another specific island where the birds make their home.

The animal care team recently determined the sex of the juvenile penguin was a female through a blood draw. Since hatching in June, Isla has reached many milestones. She has begun to swim independently, shed her downy fluff for water-proof feathers and joined the full penguin colony, making her visible to guests visiting the aquarium. The newcomer also has been eating fish, socializing with adult birds, interacting with animal care staff and more.

Visitors have a chance to come face-to-face with Isla along with her famous parents, Edward and Annie, and grandfather, Wellington, who gained fame from exploring Shedd in viral videos during the pandemic closure, in the Polar Play Zone.

Even though she is still considered a juvenile, Isla has reached her full size, already reaching the height of many adult birds in the colony. Isla can be identified by her solitary yellow eyebrow feathers. The longer yellow crested feathers toward the back of her head will only grow after the first regular molt at around one year old.

As with all penguin hatchlings, these birds contribute to Shedd’s overall knowledge and care for these animals and the aquarium’s participation in conservation efforts among aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), including a cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan for rockhopper penguins. Isla’s presence at Shedd also helps inspire guests to make a difference in supporting the health of critical ecosystems along South America’s southern coast, where habitat destruction, pollution and human disturbance can displace these important aquatic birds.

Members of Shedd’s animal care team recently returned from their second annual trip to South America, where they monitored a wild Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) colony, the second species of penguin in the colony at Shedd and collected guano samples for future analysis. The samples will help reveal the diets of these animals, which live in an unpredictable zone in terms of food resources, to ensure their sources of prey are identified and protected. Because Shedd cares daily for a population of Magellanic penguins, the aquarium’s colony also helps validate the research methods as a control group, highlighting the impact these birds, like Isla, can have on large-scale conservation research.

Membership supports the important work Shedd does to save species, conserve biodiversity and provide public education that empowers the next generation to join us in preserving and restoring our blue planet. Members receive free access to the aquarium year-round, special member pricing for onsite experiences, discounts to onsite and online shops, invitations to exclusive programs, behind-the-scenes updates and more – like the possibility of helping to name a penguin when the opportunity arises! Guests can learn more about Shedd membership at: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/about-shedd/support-us/members.

VISUALS: High resolution visuals of Isla are available for preview and download here: 

https://personal.filesanywhere.com/fs/v.aspx?v=8e6e69895c667677af6e

Credit: ©Shedd Aquarium