Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It’s Adorable How Curious They Are

Remember the penguins at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, who got a chance to explore the facility after it closed due to the coronavirus pandemic? Good news: not only do their field trips continue, but Shedd Aquarium keeps sharing them on social media as well. The penguins are stealing people’s hearts as they explore their home, and recently they even met their neighbors, beluga whales.

The whales were absolutely captivated by the penguins, coming right up to the glass to meet the little fellas.

Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It's Adorable How Curious They Are

Image credits: Shedd Aquarium

Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It's Adorable How Curious They Are

The Belugas were especially fascinated by a rockhopper penguin named Wellington. And not surprisingly: this was probably the first time the whales had ever seen a penguin up close. In the wild, the two probably wouldn’t meet throughout their whole lives: while Beluga whales live in the Arctic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, penguins reside in the Southern Hemisphere.

Wellington himself seemed most interested by several of the freshwater fish species, including the red-bellied piranhas and the black-barred silver dollars. “Those same fish seemed equally interested in Wellington, meaning the penguins aren’t the only animals receiving enrichment from these pop-up field trips,” a spokesperson told Insider.

Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It's Adorable How Curious They Are

“While Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium may be closed to the public, animal care staff and veterinarians are onsite 24/7,” a spokesperson told Insider. “Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals — introducing new experiences, activities, foods, and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve, and express natural behaviors.”

Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It's Adorable How Curious They Are

Shedd Aquarium has been educating their followers about its penguins through their posts as well, revealing that fan-favorite Wellington is 32 years old — double the life expectancy of a rockhopper.

Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It's Adorable How Curious They Are

To everyone’s delight, Shedd Aquarium even recorded one of the encounters

Here’s what people had to say about all of this

Penguins Meet Beluga Whales In A Closed Aquarium And It's Adorable How Curious They Are

As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

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Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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What do you think ?

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Christine 4 years ago

UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT: This makes me kinda sad, those belugas should not be in captivity. They are starved for something to even look at. I was at Shed recently. The whales swim around and around in circles all day like a pacing cat in a cage.

9points

Andy from Beaverton 4 years ago

I watched a beluga perform in Moscow about 20 years ago. Their encephalization quotient it just below a bottlenose dolphins, so they are extremely intelligent. This BW I watched was so smart and curious, that they don’t get the recognition they deserve. And they don’t deserve to be held captive.

8points

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Lisa 4 years ago

Not only are they starved for anything to do but often are literally starved because in the wild they live in very cold water and thus have a lot of fat to keep them warm but this fat would make them overheat in warmer regions so they get less food as to not build as thick a layer of fat...

6points

Cat 4 years ago

More and more people are beginning to realize the cruelty of keeping animals with high intelligence in comfined space. Belugas, dolphins and orcas belong to the open ocean...

4points

Christina Uhlir 4 years ago

How many of those whale jails are there in the world? Meanwhile, "people" are destroying and polluting their homes, turning them into garbage dump. Ah, it's not adorable and cute.

1point

Emily B. 4 years ago

Shedd is not like Seaworld. If animals are there, it is because they have to be. They are a conservation and research organization. Most have been rescued, rehabilitated and, for one reason or another cannot be released. And, although you think you see them with nothing to do "all day," the very reason you are seeing these photos is because they all have caretakers that are there to stimulate and socialize with them. That is why the penguins were out in the first place. Your opinion is unpopular because it is short-sighted, not because you are some sort of contrarian animal activist...

0points

4EVER PANDA 4 years ago

your comment is partly correct, not all aquariums are like how you described, there are few that treat their animals with care, and not with captivity.

0points

Carol Emory 4 years ago (edited)

I think it's so funny that every time a dolphin or whale meets an animal through the glass of the pool..they try to imitate the movement of the animal they are looking at. Yesterday there was a video of the zookeepers taking a sloth around upside down on a branch and when the dolphins saw it, they rolled upside down in the pool to imitate it. If you look at these belugas, you will see them do the same, fin out, waddle like the penguins.

9points

Full Name 4 years ago

The belugas are fascinated, but the penguin could not care less. Also, that is the cleanest aquarium glass and water I've ever seen.

7points

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Christine 4 years ago

9points

Andy from Beaverton 4 years ago

8points

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Lisa 4 years ago

6points

Cat 4 years ago

More and more people are beginning to realize the cruelty of keeping animals with high intelligence in comfined space. Belugas, dolphins and orcas belong to the open ocean...

4points

Christina Uhlir 4 years ago

How many of those whale jails are there in the world? Meanwhile, "people" are destroying and polluting their homes, turning them into garbage dump. Ah, it's not adorable and cute.

1point

Emily B. 4 years ago

0points

4EVER PANDA 4 years ago

your comment is partly correct, not all aquariums are like how you described, there are few that treat their animals with care, and not with captivity.

0points