It's A Girl! National Aquarium In Baltimore Welcomes New Baby Puffin

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The new female puffin chick has people gushing with excitement at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

This baby is the fourth chick for parents Victor and Vixen, who were the first puffins to ever successfully breed at National Aquarium in 2006.

The chick hatched on July 4 after an incubation period of approximately 30 days in a specially constructed enclosure, mimicking the deep burrows the species typically use in the wild. During the incubation time, the puffins co-parent their young by taking turns protecting the nest and the egg.

Since her birth, the chick has been closely watched by National Aquarium staff and aviculture experts. She is steadily gaining weight and appears healthy.

The baby puffin will remain within its burrow for 40 or more days before it begins making short exploratory trips to the Aquarium's puffin exhibit.

She doesn't have a name yet, but National Aquarium representatives are likely to announce the chick's name in the coming weeks.