Meet Peachy Keen
A Dedicated Parent
Peachy Keen was a nameless Magellanic penguin when he was banded (#60740) as an adult in 2009. He became a Very Important Penguin when a generous donor named him Peachy Keen and bought him a satellite tag to track his travels at sea. Peachy Keen was a loyal penguin and has stuck with the same mate from 2009-2013.
In 2010, Peachy Keen and his mate moved closer to the sea. We placed a satellite tag on him and the pair successfully raised a chick. In the 2012-2013 breeding season, both of Peachy Keen’s eggs were lost to predation because their nest provided poor protection. In the 2013-2014 season, Peachy Keen and his mate were back in the same nest and breeding.
Peachy Keen was a “feisty” penguin, a good parent, and had a solid partner; we haven’t seen them since the 2013 breeding season.
Peachy Keen’s travels show that oceanic conditions and food availability alter how long penguins are gone and where they forage. Where Peachy Keen fed helped show what would make an effective Marine Protected Area at Punta Tombo. A protected area near the colony could have helped Peachy Keen and his mate and other penguins find food for their chicks. On December 3, 2015, our data and publications were key to getting legislation passed for a Marine Protected Area out to three nautical miles and 37 miles of coastline in Chubut Province.