A 12-week-old penguin that is enchanting visitors at SeaWorld is the first of its kind to have been reproduced through artificial insemination with thawed sperm, researchers said.
Going by "No. 184," the Magellan penguin started as an egg in the park's incubators after researchers at the SeaWorld Reproductive Research Center used frozen and then thawed semen for fertilization, KFMB reported.
"The semen is drawn up this catheter into the syringe. ... All we're doing is helping the sperm get further along into that position for fertilization," Justine O'Brien of the research center explained.
The team had previously used frozen sperm and this attempt marked the first time that frozen-then-thawed sperm successfully fertilized an egg, NBC San Diego reported. The first-ever marine mammal to be reproduced through artificial insemination was in 2000.
The landmark use of artificial insemination to further a penguin species could help scientists to conserve endangered animals in the future.
"Artificial insemination and semen preservation allows us to maximize the genetic diversity of these populations, and that means that they remain healthy and stable into the future," said O'Brien, as quoted by ABC57 News.
The resulting baby bird was raised by hand in a penguin nursery, where it dined for the first month on "a special formula made of ground herring fillets, krill, vitamins, minerals and water," according to ABC57.
At a few months old, the Magellan penguin is now eating solid fish.
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