JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hey there, Insiders! I had an amazing adventure earlier this year going behind the scenes of the Tuxedo Coast penguin exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
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One of the many cool things I learned that day is that all 29 penguins in the zoo’s colony have names -- and a few even have special nicknames the animal care specialists call them (like “Naughty,” “Soiled” and “Putty”).
I also found out that while the animal care specialists who spend the most time with the penguins can tell them apart by their markings and facial features -- they also have another way to tell who’s who: the colored bands or zip ties on the penguins’ wings.
With the exception of “Daffodil,” Pango and Lucy, if the penguin’s band or zip tie is on the right wing, the penguin is a male, if it’s on the left wing, it’s a female.
I thought it would be fun to share the list of who’s who with our Insiders so the next time your family is at the Jacksonville Zoo, you can visit Tuxedo Coast and really “meet” the penguins.
And if you notice some family name themes, it’s not your imagination 😉 -- for instance, Phoebe and Bruce were born to Friend and Banner, whose siblings are Wanda, Pietro and Marvel. There are definitely some Marvel character fans over at the zoo 😂. For more on who’s related in the colony, scroll to the bottom for an interactive “family tree” chart.
Here’s a breakdown of how to identify all 29 penguins -- and how they’re related.
| Penguin | Identifier | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Troy “Naughty” | Red zip tie on right wing | Male paired with “Plankton.” Dad to Sharky, “Hammy,” and Micro. Foster dad to Chesterfield. |
| Victoria “Plankton” | Orange thick band No. 238 on left wing | Female paired with “Naughty.” Mom to Sharky, “Hammy,” and Micro. Foster mom to Chesterfield. |
| Sharky | Gray zip tie with red and orange beads on right wing | Male paired with Turtle. Hatched at Jax Zoo (2016) to parents “Naughty” and “Plankton.” Brother to “Hammy” and Micro. |
| Turtle | Gray zip tie with purple, white and brown beads on left wing. | Female paired with Sharky. |
| Snowflake “Hammy” | White zip tie with orange and red beads on left wing | Female paired with “Putty.” Hatched at Jax Zoo (2017) to parents “Naughty” and “Plankton.” Sister to Sharky and Micro. |
| Roman “Putty” | Yellow thick band No. 217 on right wing | Male paired with “Hammy.” |
| Micro | Orange zip tie with red and orange beads on left wing. | Female paired with Nemo. Hatched at Jax Zoo (2018) to parents “Naughty” and “Plankton.” Sister to Sharky and “Hammy.” |
| Nemo | Black zip tie with blue and black beads on right wing | Male paired with Micro. Hatched at Jax Zoo (2019) to parents Pango and Blue (who died). |
| Pango | Black thick band flipped but has No. 246 on inside of left wing | Male paired with paired with Lucy. Dad to Nemo with previous mate Blue who died. |
| Lucy | Black thick band No. 256 with pink zip tie around it on right wing | Female paired with Pango. |
| Cobblepot | Black zip tie with black and white beads on left wing | Female. Mom to Chesterfield. Mate Oswald (Chesterfield’s dad) died. |
| Chesterfield | Thick white band on right wing | Male born at Jax Zoo (2021) to parents Cobblepot and Oswald (who died). Foster raised by “Naughty” and “Plankton.” |
| Lola | Black zip tie with yellow and gray beads on left wing | Female paired with Austin. Mom to “Banner,” Wanda, Pietro and Marvel (Marvel now at different zoo). Only grandma in the colony! |
| Austin | Black zip tie with red and yellow beads on right wing | Male paired with Lola. Dad to “Banner,” Wanda, Pietro and Marvel (Marvel now at different zoo). Only grandpa in the colony! |
| Wanda | Purple zip tie with red and yellow beads on left wing | Female born at Jax Zoo (2023) to parents Austin and Lola. Sister to “Banner,” Pietro and Marvel. |
| Pietro | Black zip tie with baby blue and yellow beads on right wing | Male born at Jax Zoo (2023) to parents Austin and Lola. Brother to “Banner,” Wanda and Marvel. Foster raised by “Goodyear” and Maynard. |
| Maynard | White zip tie with black and brown beads on right wing | Male paired with “Goodyear.” Foster dad to Pietro. Oldest penguin in the colony. |
| Mrs. Smith “Goodyear” | Neon green zip tie on left wing | Female paired with Maynard. Foster mom to Pietro. |
| Juliette “Banner” | Gray zip tie with red, yellow and white beads on left wing | Female paired with Friend. Hatched at Jax Zoo (2017) to parents Lola and Austin. Sister to Marvel, Wanda and Pietro. Mom to Phoebe and Bruce. |
| Friend | Pink zip tie with green, purple and black beads on right wing | Male paired with “Banner.” Dad to Phoebe and Bruce. |
| Bruce | Black zip tie with purple and green beads on right wing | Male born at Jax Zoo (2023) to parents “Banner” and Friend. Brother to Phoebe. Grandson of Austin and Lola. |
| Phoebe | Black zip tie with purple and yellow beads on left wing | Female born at Jax Zoo (2023) to parents “Banner” and Friend. Sister to Bruce. Foster raised by Kowalski and “Daffodil.” Granddaughter of Austin and Lola. |
| Oreo “Daffodil” | Blue thick band No. 221 on right wing | Female paired with Kowalski. Mom to Forklift and Tonka (both now at different zoo). Foster mom to Phoebe. |
| Kowalski | Black zip tie with brown beads on right wing | Male paired with “Daffodil.” Dad to Forklift and Tonka (both now at different zoo). Foster dad to Phoebe. |
| Mango “Soiled” | Thick white band with neon green zip on left wing | Female paired with Mr. Big. Mom to CJ. |
| Mr. Big | White zip tie on right wing | Male paired with “Soiled.” Dad to CJ. |
| CJ | Gray zip tie with green and white beads on right wing | Male. First chick hatched at the Jax Zoo (2015) to parents Mr. Big and “Soiled.” Hand raised by animal care specialists. |
| Harvey | Black zip tie with white beads on right wing | Male paired with Vickie. |
| Vickie | Neon yellow zip tie with yellow beads on left wing | Female paired with Harvey. |
I’ve also made a printable PDF version you can take to the zoo with you.
PRINT: PDF checklist of penguin names and identifiers
Family groups in the colony
Because so many of the penguins are related, I decided to make a chart showing the family groupings. What looks like an “X” means those two penguins are paired. The arrows are their chicks or their foster chicks.
(NOTE: The map is interactive and more information will pop up when you hover over one of the penguin’s images. You can also move the circles around the graph if you need to adjust the locations.)
