Three new baby penguins unveiled at Adventure Aquarium in Camden

Adventure Aquarium in Camden on Thursday unveiled three Little Blue Penguin chicks that hatched earlier this month.

Little Blue Penguins are the smallest species of penguin in the world — they are also called “fairy penguins” because of their diminutive size — and are naturally found along the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand.

At the Adventure Aquarium, the first chick — a male — hatched on Feb. 2, aquarium officials said. A female hatched the next day, and a second male arrived on Feb. 5.

The first chick is the offspring of Sheila and Spud, who are also the parents of Tater Tot (hatched 2023), Kiwi (2024), and Saquon (2025). This is Sheila’s 10th chick.

The younger chicks were born to Maremma and Bloke, who are also experienced parents. Their offspring include Lovie, hatched in 2024, and Griffin, hatched in 2021.

“Sheila and Spud are successful, proven parents and are once again doing a wonderful job with their chick, nicely allowing the biologists in the nest each morning to check on the chick’s growth,” Jamie Becker, biologist on the aquarium’s birds and mammals team, said in a statement.

“Maremma and Bloke have been doing a great job taking care of two chicks and are very protective parents,” Becker said.

The new chicks join 19 members of the Little Blue Penguin colony at Adventure Aquarium. The three chicks have been transitioned from parental care to biologist care in a nursery area, aquarium officials said,

Once they are fully grown and have developed juvenile waterproof feathers, they will gradually be introduced back into the colony.

Late last year, three new African penguins were hatched at the Adventure Aquarium. Duffy and Oscar made their public debut in late December. The third was named Scrappy after a public naming contest was held.

The Little Blue Penguin chicks will be named by aquarium staff.