Penguin Beach

You have now arrived at our African Penguin exhibit at the Toledo Zoo. This exhibit is right next to our aquarium and has three different areas to experience penguins. The front of the exhibit has a small waterfall to your left, a water area at the front, as well as the beach to your right. The front view of the exhibit has a smaller pool of water which is between 5-6 feet deep. This exhibit also has a viewing area near the exit of the aquarium. This area gives you a chance to notice the exhibit from higher up, with a great view of the waterfall and a better look at the beach. The back of the exhibit, near the splash pad, shows much deeper water, here the waterfowl and penguins swim underwater in their exhibit. This water in this part of the exhibit is much deeper, about 10 feet deep! As you get near the exhibit you may hear braying, a sound like donkey makes, coming from our penguins, as well as some quaking or splashing from our ducks in this exhibit. These ducks share the exhibit with our penguins.

The African penguin is the only type of penguin that can be found on the Continent of Africa. They have a bold black and white pattern across their body as well as black and gray feet. They also have a pink patches above their eyes, these are glands that blood is sent to get cooled to help the penguin when they get too warm. Most African Penguins weigh between 6 and 7 pounds, or about the size of a small cat. African penguins are great swimmers, reaching speeds of up to 6mph. Their body shape helps them to “fly” through the water. Diving under the water to catch fish, these penguins can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes. The penguins can be seen waddling throughout the exhibit, as well as standing or laying on the beach, jumping in and out of the water, and swimming at all parts of the exhibit.

We hope you enjoyed your tour of our African Penguin exhibit and got to learn about each animal that calls it home. Have a great rest of you day at the Toledo Zoo!