La Jolla aquarium opens exhibit for world's smallest penguins, known for 'big personalities'
LA JOLLA, Calif. (KABC) -- The world's smallest penguins are the newest big deal at an aquarium in La Jolla.
The Birch Aquarium will be the only facility in the western United States to feature a habitat for Little Blue penguins.
Little Blues are the smallest species of penguin, standing less than a foot tall and weighing just 2-3 pounds.
The aquarium says they are "known for their unique blue color and their big personalities."
The 2,900 square-foot exhibit includes a rocky and sandy shore habitat and an 18,000-gallon pool.
Little Blue penguins are native to southern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.
They fall under a special conservation program managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and only a handful of facilities around the world have a habitat for Little Blue penguins.
The penguins will be housed in the Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins habitat, in honor of a $1 million gift from a family that has been a long-time supporter of the zoo and its parent organization, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California San Diego.
