The Tennessee Aquarium Has Two Baby Penguins, And They’re Basically Little Balls of Floof

We have important ocean news to report.

There are currently two extremely fluffy baby penguins waddling their way toward adulthood at the Tennessee Aquarium.

That’s it.

That’s the story.

Okay, there’s actually a little more to it.

The Aquarium is celebrating what it calls a summertime “penguin baby boom” after two Gentoo penguin chicks hatched just 22 days apart, and despite being less than a month apart in age, they already look hilariously different.

Meet the Babies

The first chick hatched on June 25 to parents Nipper and Pebbles.

Then, on July 17, longtime penguin parents Blue and Flower welcomed another chick.

That means the two babies are only 22 days apart.

You probably wouldn’t guess that by looking at them.

Gentoo penguin chicks grow incredibly quickly, and the older chick is already approaching adult size while its younger neighbor is still rocking the full fluffy baby look.

Basically, one looks like a teenage penguin.

The other looks like a sentient cotton ball.

The Younger Chick Had a Rough Start

The newest arrival needed a little extra help during its first days.

Animal care staff noticed the chick was having trouble holding up its head well enough to eat from its parents.

That is a serious problem for a newborn penguin, since chicks need to put on weight quickly.

So veterinary and animal care teams stepped in.

For nearly a week, staff provided round-the-clock feedings while Blue and Flower continued caring for their baby.

It worked.

The chick eventually became strong enough to eat normally with its parents and has been growing quickly ever since.

And We Mean REALLY Quickly

The younger chick weighed only about 3.5 ounces when it hatched.

One month later?

Around six pounds.

That’s roughly a 2,700 percent increase in body weight.

If human babies grew at the same pace, things would get terrifying very quickly.

Thankfully, this particular growth spurt mostly results in an increasingly large pile of adorable penguin fluff.

Next Comes Penguin Swim School

The chicks aren’t quite ready to join the rest of the colony yet.

First, they have to pass an important milestone.

The swim test.

At around 70 days old, each chick will need to prove it can float, swim and, most importantly, climb back out of the water without assistance.

Once the older chick passes, it’ll officially join the rest of the Gentoo colony at Penguins’ Rock.

The younger chick should follow a few weeks later.

Until then, they’ll keep doing what baby penguins apparently do best.

Eating.

Growing.

Being fluffy.

And making everyone who sees their pictures briefly forget whatever they were annoyed about five minutes earlier.

Why We’re Covering This

Does every ocean story need to involve a groundbreaking scientific discovery?

Absolutely not.

Sometimes there are two baby penguins.

Sometimes one of them looks like a giant ball of dryer lint with feet.

And sometimes that’s enough.

Welcome to the world, little guys.

Please remain fluffy for as long as possible.

Sources: Tennessee Aquarium, WVLT