Free "Pocket Penguins" App for iPhone and Android Offers 24/7 Views of the California Academy of Sciences' Penguin Colony

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July 20, 2011
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Free "Pocket Penguins" App for iPhone and Android Offers 24/7 Views of the California Academy of Sciences' Penguin Colony

SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Once you have penguins in your pocket, you'll wonder how you ever got along without them. Pocket Penguins, a new app designed and developed by the California Academy of Sciences, offers users live views of the museum's colony of charismatic African Penguins 24 hours a day.

Users can toggle between three different cameras in the exhibit, including an underwater vantage point, and watch for some of the birds' most endearing behaviors, including courtship, establishing and defending territories, and collecting nest material. Parenting may also be a future highlight--the next time a penguin couple produces and begins incubating eggs, Academy biologists plan to deploy a nest cam to share the egg incubation and chick rearing process with viewers around the world.

    --  Insider Tip: The birds are especially animated during feeding time
        (daily at 10:30am and 3:00pm PT), when the sight of fresh herring
        inspires them to dart and dive exuberantly around their exhibit.
The free app is now available for iPhones and Android phones via the iTunes Store and Android Market. For links and details, visit http://www.calacademy.org/apps/penguins. The penguin cams are also available online at http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/penguins, and visitors to the Academy can see the birds in-person in African Hall.

About African Penguins

The Academy participates in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Species Survival Program (SSP) for African Penguins, aimed at conserving this species in the wild. In 2010, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the species as endangered, or at very high risk of extinction in the wild. African Penguin populations are threatened by competition with commercial fishing operations, guano removal, oil spills, and predation by feral cats.

About the California Academy of Sciences

Located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is home to Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, Kimball Natural History Museum, and world-class research and education programs--all under one living roof. Established in 1853, the Academy's mission is to explore, explain and protect the natural world. Learn more at http://www.calacademy.org.

SOURCE  California Academy of Sciences

California Academy of Sciences

CONTACT: Stephanie Stone, +1-415-379-5121, sstone@calacademy.org; Andrew Ng, +1-415-379-5123, ang@calacademy.org

Web Site: http://www.calacademy.org

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