‘Best Friend’ Celebrates 40th Birthday at SeaWorld San Diego
"This remarkable achievement not only marks Best Friend’s 40th birthday but also highlights the broader success of penguin conservation and care at SeaWorld San Diego, emphasizing the critical role that accredited zoological institutions play in protecting and preserving vulnerable species for future generations," the organization said in a statement.
A macaroni penguin is celebrating a landmark achievement Wednesday: turning the big 4-0.
That’s a daunting age to turn for humans, but for Best Friend the penguin, it’s an improbable one, as macaroni penguins were previously thought to only reach about 30 years in captivity, about double their lifespan in the wild.
But Best Friend, who lives at SeaWorld San Diego, is still going strong.
Macaroni penguins, named for a bright-yellow crest at the tops of their heads that resemble aspects of an eighteenth-century foppish style called macaroni, are one of six species of crested penguin and generally live in subantarctic regions around Antarctica.
They are thought to be the world’s most abundant penguin species, although climate change and human activity has threatened their ability to thrive in the wild.
“This remarkable achievement not only marks Best Friend’s 40th birthday but also highlights the broader success of penguin conservation and care at SeaWorld San Diego, emphasizing the critical role that accredited zoological institutions play in protecting and preserving vulnerable species for future generations,” the organization said in a statement.
Another macaroni penguin with ties to San Diego is also celebrating her 40th this week, this time in Pennsylvania.
Mickey was hatched at SeaWorld San Diego in 1984. She was transported to the Pittsburgh Zoo in 2003.
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