Ralph the Featherless Penguin Gets Designer Threads
Great news for Ralph, the featherless penguin! Keepers at England’s Marwell Wildlife have fitted the penguin with designer duds made especially for him.
Feathers, crucial in keeping penguins warm and dry, provide insulation and protection from the wind and weather. Each year, new feathers grow underneath the old, worn-out feathers. Once a new feather is in place, it pushes the old feather out until all the old feathers have been completely replaced. The annual process, called molting or shedding, normally takes about four weeks, depending on the species.
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While the other Humboldt penguins at Marwell Wildlife slowly shed their old feathers to make room for new ones, Ralph lost all his feathers in just one day. Due to a risk of severe sunburn on his sensitive skin, the nine-year-old penguin faced up to three weeks of indoor confinement while he waited for his new feathers to come in. His keepers considered using sunscreen on the bald penguin, but that idea was quickly dismissed. But the creative keepers came up with another idea that has created quite the buzz. A penguin wetsuit!
Constructed from the leg of an adult’s wetsuit, the specially designed threads suit Ralph perfectly! The 
wetsuit, donated by a staff member, is nice and stretchy allowing the penguin to move freely. With a few extra openings for his head and flippers, Ralph adjusted quickly to his new suit is now able to go outside and swim with his friends.
Although the other penguins gave Ralph the once-over and didn’t quite know what to make of him at first, once they realized it was Ralph, everyone got along swimmingly. Ralph will wear the wetsuit for a few weeks until his new feathers grow in.
Humboldt Penguins
Humboldt penguins, Spheniscus humboldti, are highly social and can live up to 30 years in captivity and 20 years in the wild. Weighing about 10 pounds, Humboldt penguins can swim at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.
The penguins are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. With a decreasing population, threats to the species include entanglement in fishing nets, overfishing, pollution, use of explosives by fisherman, mining, and illegal capture for pet trade and consumption. A survey in 1998 suggested that extinction of the species was likely within 100 years.
Pierre
A penguin from San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences was also suffering from penguin baldness. African penguin Pierre, was shivering, inactive and reclusive and other penguins were picking on him.
After a series of medical tests, his keepers, along with wetsuit manufacturer Oceanic Worldwide and Early Childhood Specialist Celeste Argel, designed a special 3mm neoprene vest for the 25-year-old penguin. After six weeks of wearing the vest, Pierre’s feathers came in and the vest was removed in 2008.
African or jackass penguins, Spheniscus demersus, are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Photo of Humboldt penguin from Art G via Creative Commons
