It’s shaping up to be a big week in Penguins’ Rock at the Tennessee Aquarium.
Already, all of the resident gentoo and macaroni penguins have been rounded up for their semi-annual physical examinations.
While they visited the staff veterinarian behind the scenes, other staff members gave the penguins’ chilly habitat a thorough spring cleaning, says spokesman Thom Benson. Workers drained the penguin pool and pressure-washed the entire space and performed preventive maintenance on the exhibit’s wave machine.
Next, several hundred pounds of “magic rocks” will be brought out for the birds on Friday, April 1. And that will trigger nest-building, signaling the start of nesting season for the penguins.
Even though experts have discredited the myth that male penguins “propose” to females with a single pebble, both gentoo and macaroni penguins build rock nests. The process is an important part of courtship and bonding, Benson says.