Penguins attract huge crowds of loving and adoring fans wherever they go at California's Aquariums and Zoos. Pictured is Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific

Penguin Valentines

Penguins make good parents. They often keep the same mate for life, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding and protecting their chicks.

LONG BEACH: Aquarium of the Pacific

100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 
aquariumofpacific.org
Most penguins in the world - ten out of seventeen species - live in temperate areas and never see ice or snow such as Long Beach's 20 Magellanic Penguins in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat. It includes a crawl-in space, allowing you to feel as if you are inside the exhibit with the animals.
VALENTINE'S COUPLES
Whatever & Shim: Whatever is head-over-heels in love with Shim, her mate. The penguin trainers say the two seem strongly bonded.
Roxy & Floyd: Roxy paired up with Floyd and laid two eggs back in 2013. The chicks that hatched, one male and one female, were the first penguin chicks to be born at the Aquarium.
Avery & Kate: Early on, Avery paired up with Kate, but had to compete with Robbie for her affections.

MONTEREY: Monterey Bay Aquarium
montereybayaquarium.org/ animals-and-exhibits/ exhibits/splash-zone-and-penguins/ meet-the-penguins
VALENTINE'S COUPLES
Amigo & Elizabeth | Bee & Geyser | Durban & Velma | Karoo & Molopo | Messina & Pringle | Sabile & Seekoei
African penguin populations have undergone a steep decline in the past century from nearly one million breeding pairs to around  25,000 breeding pairs in the wild today. African penguins are considered endangered, as their population has been reduced by over 97 percent in the last 100 years. If additional conservation actions aren't taken, the penguin population is likely to continue to decline at this alarming rate. With streamlined bodies and waterproof feathers, these ocean birds are agile and graceful under water. Using their wings as flippers and their feet as rudders, they "fly" through the water fast enough to chase down squid, schools of cape anchovy and other small fishes.

SAN DIEGO: SeaWorld San Diego is home to nearly 400 penguins! Its penguin population includes Emperor and King penguins, and smaller Adelie, Gentoo, Chinstrap and Macaroni penguins. The theme park and aquarium opens Emperor dive roller coaster in 2020, featuring near-vertical drops with a holding brake at the top of the coaster, just before the drop. The tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster in California, as well as the only floorless dive coaster in the state was named for the world's largest penguin, which it mimics for its amazing underwater diving ability. 

SAN DIEGO: San Diego Zoo zoo.sandiegozoo.org/animals/penguin
San Diego Zoo features African penguins native to the waters and shorelines of southern Africa at the big Dan and Vi McKinney Penguin Habitat at Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks. Whether it's because of their comical gait, dapper tuxedo-like coloring, or even the males' legendary parenting skills, the appeal of penguins is undeniable.  The spacious Cape Fynbos includes a cobblestone beach, nesting area, and rockwork that mimics the granite boulders found at Boulders Beach in South Africa along with a 200,000-gallon pool with depths up to 13 feet, and underwater viewing.  Cape Fynbos was the first Africa Rocks habitat to open to the public on July 1, 2017.

SAN FRANCISCO: California Academy of Science's Steinhart Aquarium African penguins
calacademy.org/ explore-science/african-penguin
In February the Aquarium features Penguin Valentines, a unique event in which penguins carry actual red hearts given to them by staff. African penguins establish strong pair bonds, remaining with the same partner for several years and returning to the same breeding site each year, typically producing two eggs annually. Both parents feed and care for their hatchlings for about a month, after which the chicks join a communal daycare known as a creche, where they will stay for 2 to 4 months until they develop their juvenile feathers and are ready to go forage at sea with their parents. African penguins hew to a set of behaviors that will seem familiar to humans, such as establishing strong pair bonds and clear social hierarchies, and using lively, complex communication. In the mainland colonies they’ve established near Cape Town and Namibia, they even interact with humans from only a few feet away.  African penguins can live as long as 27 years in the wild, and potentially longer in captivity. Like all penguins, African penguins do not fly; their wings, flat and stiff, function as flippers, allowing them to dive to nearly 200 feet in pursuit of fish and squid. And because African penguins can slow their heart rate, they can remain underwater for more than two minutes at a time.  Their coats, which feature a pattern unique to each penguin (like human fingerprints), are maintained by a constant process of preening. During preening, penguins use their beaks to apply oil from a gland at the base of their tails, distributing a waxy sheen over their feathers.

SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Zoo Penguin Island
sfzoo.org/ animals/exhibits/penguinisland.htm
 The San Francisco Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for the Magellanic penguin. Among the more fascinating animals at the Zoo is the colony of Magellanic penguins located on Penguin Island across from the Lion House. These seemingly identical flightless black and white seabirds are actually very diverse in personality, disposition and markings, as the penguin keepers can attest to. Penguin Island has one of the most successful captive breeding colonies in the world, with 205 penguin chicks fledged since the old reflecting pool was renovated to accommodate penguins in 1984.

VALLEJO: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Penguin Passage
sixflags.com/ discoverykingdom/ attractions/penguin-passage
Fast swimming is their specialty - up to 20 mph! The African penguin you find here at the park is native to the southern coast of Africa and well-suited to California's Bay Area local climate.