Magic rocks at Tennessee Aquarium: Penguin mating season gets underway!

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Mating season officially gets underway at Penguins’ Rock.
Tennessee Aquarium officials added several hundred pounds of “magic rocks” to the south pole exhibit Friday.
The rocks become nests for the Gentoo and Macaroni penguins.
And aquarium officials say nesting season is one of the best times to visit Penguins’ Rock.
They say you might get to see some sneaky behavior like rock stealing from unsuspecting parents’ nests.
But it all boils down to hoping for the pitter patter of new penguin feet.
Loribeth Lee works as a Senior Aviculturist at Penguins’ Rock. She said, “We’ve actually hatched 18 chicks here since 2009 and for a colony of about 25 birds on average, that’s really good so we feel like the birds are getting more experience, with every year they get a little bit better as parents and we actually expect to get about three or four chicks this year.”
Aquarium workers say the first eggs should appear in about a month.