Hi Penguin enthusiasts!  I am Pam Montbach, the newest member of the penguin team at the academy. In order not to be confused with the other, more experienced, penguin biologist Pam, everyone calls me Monty. I’ve been working with these gregarious birds since May and you’ll usually see me in the exhibit diving and feeding on Thursday afternoons. My main job at the Steinhart is to care for and culture our jellyfish. I am also on the shark team and work closely with the California coast animals we have at the Academy. Getting a chance to work with the penguins has been an exciting and rewarding experience for me. Each time I step into the exhibit to feed or clean I get a peek into another world. Watching the birds moving on land, jumping on the rocks, fighting for territory, and belly-flopping into the water can be quite humorous.  But all of that awkwardness disappears as soon as they enter the water. They are sleek and agile. I get to see this up close when I am diving to clean the tank. I love to interact with them underwater and watch them in their element.  Each of our birds has a distinct personality and watching the relationships form between individual penguins and getting to bond with the birds myself is truly a treat.- Pam Montbach

Hi there, this is Vikki and I’m one of the penguin biologists at the Academy.  I have been working with penguins for over six years now, and am still fascinated by the social interactions that can be observed between individuals in a colony.  I also enjoy comparing and contrasting this colony of African penguins with the colony of Magellanic penguins that I worked with previously.  As one of the aviculturists on staff, I have the opportunity to work with all the birds that presently reside at the Academy.  Penguin antics will always be some of my favorites though!- Vikki McCloskey

Ever since I can remember, the underwater world has captivated me.  The ocean is a vast environment that we can only be visitors to.  Penguins, although being birds, have evolved to fully exploit the bounty of the ocean.  However, human activities like shipping, overharvesting, and pollution have begun to take its toll on wildlife that depend on the ocean for their very survival.  The CAS’s commitment to education will hopefully bring awareness of the situation occurring off of South Africa and in other places where penguins make their homes.  It’s one thing to watch a penguin on a television screen compared to seeing them up close and personal.  It’s a whole different experience when one can work with these birds on a daily basis.  Fascinating doesn’t begin to describe these wonderful birds. - Allan Jan

Hello, everyone! My name is Brooke and I normally care for the penguins all day on Sunday and Monday as well as on Thursday mornings.  My favorite thing about working with these birds is that I find it impossible to be in a bad mood around them! Each one of our penguins has its own individual personality, complete with quirks.  Pete (black w/ white band on right wing) is my favorite. He can have a bad temper and is always getting into trouble. Dunker (yellow w/ black band on right wing), who I’m holding in this picture, is a close second. He is very sweet and likes to keep a low profile. I have known 7 of the birds in our colony since the day they hatched and it’s been amazing to be able to watch them grow from fist-sized fuzz balls into sleek adults. One of the many things I admire about penguins is how tough and resilient they are. For example, if they fall over or trip they will simply shake it off and continue on as if nothing happened. In this way, for me, they are role models. I am proud to be working at an institution that has a successful breeding program and that works to educate people about penguins and the difficulties they face. I am always happy to answer any questions and hope to see you all around the museum! -Brooke Weinstein

It is hard to quantify (I cannot say 1KB, 25 MB or 100 GB) but the simple answer is Yes. African penguins form very strong bonds with other penguins, with their chicks and their nest location. They recognize their colony location after traveling for several months. While being away from the Academy for five months, I was often asked ”Will the penguins remember you?”  Upon return, the familiar behavioral gestures of head bowing, head shaking and following around were immediately observed. They appeared to have recognized either my sound, smell or appearance. These birds can remember and differentiate the humans working with them and have different levels of interaction with different staff members. And they do remember a staff member upon return.-Pamela