First test-tube baby penguin says hello to the world

To science, she’s simply known as “184.” But on the
empirical cuteness scale, the world’s first test-tube
penguin scores a “100.”
The still unnamed baby Magellanic penguin was hatched
at SeaWorld in San Diego 12 weeks ago, but the first
images of her were released to the public this week.
She’s the first penguin to be born using artificial
insemination , a technique researchers say will help them
increase diversity in the captive penguin population and
help their studies of the creatures.
“The goal of our research center is to study a species’
reproductive biology, to learn as much as we can about
that and use this to not only monitor the health of not
only our zoological populations but wild populations as
well,” said Sea World’s reproductive center Scientific
Director Dr. Justine O’Brien.
The baby penguin is reportedly doing well. Twelve weeks
after her birth, she is mingling with the natural-born
penguin population and has transitioned from being hand-
fed by a team of biologists to eating fish on her own.
Say hello to the world's first test-tube penguin http://
t.co/mFSB673GbY pic.twitter.com/QhFHGvkBHO
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMailUS) August 13, 2014
There are an estimated 1.8 million Magellanic penguins
living in the wild. The species is typically found in South
America around the Falkland Islands, Chile and Argentina.
The species is considered “near threatened,” as its
numbers have been affected by oil spills, diminished fish
populations and climate change. O’Brien says the
successful breeding of 184 is not only helpful for research
purposes but could help scientists in future efforts to
increase the wildlife stock of penguins and other species.