According to the news on KRBD (our local community radio station) last
night, the penguin did not act tame on the boat. It ran around,
apparently trying to find a way out (the sides of the boat were too
high). When it finally gave up and stopped, they grabbed it and threw it
over. The bird immediately dived and didn't surface for about 50 feet,
if I remember right.

In addition to the catching a ride scenario, the quoted expert (didn't
get the name, maybe the same person referenced in the Eagle Chat
posting) suggested it might be from a small group of Humboldts spotted
off Vancouver Island some years ago. Does anyone know about that??

I like Jim McCoy's scenario -- sounds plausible to me, but then I'm not
a scientist.

I can't help but be amused by the whole thing -- I THINK the general
public understands Alaska better now than in the past, but you still
see igloos and penguins illustrating Arctic scenes on occasion ... this
can only be considered a setback in the effort to educate the masses. :-)

Sharron


On Tuesday, July 30, 2002, at 09:09 AM, Jim McCoy wrote:

> Because of its tameness, it certainly seems probable that this bird was
> released, but the
> incident does raise a question:? whatare the theoretical limitations on
> penguins reaching
> northern waters?
> ?
> Other swimming critters are known to?migrate thousands of miles in a
> year; are there any
> physiological restrictions that would make doing this difficult for a
> penguin?
> ?
> I understand that penguins have an easier time finding sufficient food
> in nutrient-rich colder
> waters, such as are found at far southern latitudesand in the Humboldt
> current along the
> Pacific coast of South America, but has there been any research to
> indicate that penguin
> species (and Humboldt's in particular) have a strong preference for
> colder water per se,
> independentof forage?? If they're finding fish for whatever reason, is
> there any reason they
> shouldn't movewith them?? Or is it a thermoregulation issue?? Do
> pockets of cold water ever
> slip north fromthe Galapagos? (The one placewhere penguins actually
> *do* nip across the
> equator, albeitonly just.)? I could imagine a penguin following such a
> pocket until it reached
> the California current, at which point the penguin could be in business
> again.? Doesthat
> scenario make any sense?
> ?
> Other birds get "lost" and appear far out of range?under unusual
> conditions -- why not penguins?
> ?
> ?
>
> Jim McCoy
> jfmccoy at earthlink.net
> Redmond, WA
>
> ?
>
> ?...?
> confirmed the ID as a Humboldt's; she said it is not uncommon at all
> down there for fishermen to keep these birds onboard as pets; her
> hypotheses is that the bird 'caught a ride' on some vessel to this
> hemisphere and then was released; she said it would have no problem
> surviving in these waters (similar temperature, forage, etc); she was
> pretty emphatic that the bird did not get here on its own;
> ?...?
>
>
Sharron Huffman
HERRING COVE ORIGINALS STUDIO & GALLERY
Ketchikan, Alaska
http://www.sharronhuffman.com