Long Island freeze even too much for penguins at Riverhead aquarium

Even penguins have had enough of the post snowstorm chill that has Long Island in its grip.

The 19 penguins at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead are riding out the freezing days and nights in the single digits inside. And with highs on Long Island forecast to stay below freezing until at least Monday, inside a climate-controlled room at the aquarium they'll stay.

Certain species of the bird — familiar to most for its seeming ability to thrive amid icebergs and frozen tundra — are less able to handle extreme cold, according to Joe Yaiullo, curator and co-founder of the aquarium.

"I grew up as a kid, and I’m sure a lot of us have grown up, with images of penguins on ice in the Antarctic and things like that, but there are a number of penguin species that never see ice in their lifetime in the wild,"  Yaiullo told Newsday.

The aquarium houses one of those species: the endangered African black-footed penguin, native to southern Africa. "Low 50s, maybe mid-40s is how low it’s going to get in South Africa," said Maggie Seiler, assistant curator of penguins and reptiles at the aquarium.

When temperatures drop below 30 degrees, and in harsh conditions like cold winds and rain, staff bring the penguins indoors and out of the cold, said Candy Paparo, the aquarium's director of animal training. 

"When it is too cold for them, they can experience the same things that we see," Yaiullo said. "They can get frostbite. They are standing on their feet the whole time, so their feet are in contact with the cold ground — which is not healthy for them. They can see respiratory concerns."

Don’t worry, though. Visitors can still peek at the penguins through a viewing window that is part of the birds' indoor enclosure.

Aquarium staff make sure to play with the penguins indoors to keep them mentally and physically active, Seiler said.

They also come indoors every night throughout the year for security reasons, Yaiullo said.

"It’s part of their normal routine," he added. "Just another day."

Paparo said they also bring in Fisher, the aquarium’s fishing cat, when temperatures drop. The fishing cat species is native to Southeast Asia, northern India and Sri Lanka. Fisher came to the aquarium from Texas and is used to warmer climates.

Other animals in outdoor enclosures, like the North American river otter, can withstand the colder weather, Paparo said. But those animals, too, will be put inside if the weather gets too harsh.