Based on results from a public vote, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has announced that one of its two hatchling African penguin chicks has been named “Tule.” (TOO-LEE)
Tule was named for a common marsh plant used by the Ohlone peoples to thatch their homes and rafts It’s also the name of a population of elk in the Central Valley.
The other penguin chick was named “Piper” by aquarium staff after the sandpiper birds common to local beaches.
The chicks are being removed from public view while they learn to swim. They are expected to return to the aquarium’s African penguin colony in a few months.
