Back in 2008 a penguin at the California Academy of Sciences was fitted with a wetsuit.
Pierre was then 25 years old and his feathers were thinning and not growing back. Poor Pierre was shivering and uncomfortable without the protection of his feathers. (A feeling I could identify with this summer before I discovered the benefits of wearing a shortie or full length wetsuit on holiday).
The Academy's senior aquatic biologist Pam Schaller was familiar with the warmth wetsuits provide for humans so she set about designing a neoprene suit for Pierre.
Pamela has written a paper called Why and How to Make a Penguin Wetsuit, where you can read the whole story and see more photos of Pierre and even patterns for the penguin wetsuit.
So, next time you are shopping for a wetsuit to keep you warm, spare a smile and a thought for Pierre the penguin who I believe is still alive and well at the Academy.
Pierre was then 25 years old and his feathers were thinning and not growing back. Poor Pierre was shivering and uncomfortable without the protection of his feathers. (A feeling I could identify with this summer before I discovered the benefits of wearing a shortie or full length wetsuit on holiday).
The Academy's senior aquatic biologist Pam Schaller was familiar with the warmth wetsuits provide for humans so she set about designing a neoprene suit for Pierre.
Pamela has written a paper called Why and How to Make a Penguin Wetsuit, where you can read the whole story and see more photos of Pierre and even patterns for the penguin wetsuit.
So, next time you are shopping for a wetsuit to keep you warm, spare a smile and a thought for Pierre the penguin who I believe is still alive and well at the Academy.
This post first appeared on Swim Blog | Swimming Blogs | FunSwimShop, please read the originial post: here
