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Baby Penguin Born At Monterey Bay Aquarium Growing Fast

MONTEREY (CBS SF) -- An African black-footed penguin that was born at the Monterey Bay Aquarium earlier this month is healthy and growing fast, an aquarium official said.

The penguin chick, which weighed just 2.3 ounces when it was born in an incubator on Aug. 15, has grown to 8.5 ounces and is on display in the aquarium's penguin habitat called the "Splash Zone."

"We're very excited to welcome our fourth-ever penguin chick," associate curator of aviculture Aimee Greenbaum said in s statement. "It's fun to have a youngster around again."

The baby penguin, whose sex has not been determined, will remain on display in the Splash Zone with its foster parents, Walvis and Boulders, for around three weeks.

Once the chick starts leaving the nest, the penguin family will be moved behind the scenes for safety reasons, Greenbaum said.

The chick will eventually be named and is likely to return to the Splash Zone in about three months.

Anyone who wants to keep up with the baby penguin's progress can do so at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/montereybayaquarium.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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