Programs

Penguin Valentines

Event has passed.
  • Pogo the penguin receives a valentine from Academy biologist
  • Pogo the penguin swims in her pool surrounded by felt valentines
  • An African penguin carries a felt valentine in its beak
  • Pogo the penguin cocks her head inquisitively with felt valentines in the background
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Penguin Valentines
February 14, 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tusher African Hall (map) and via livestream

Attention lovebirds: If your valentine doesn't wear a permanent tuxedo, swallow herring whole, or bray loudly when their personal space is breached, it's time for an upgrade. Luckily for you, we have 19 swoon-worthy contenders eagerly awaiting your adoration.

Join us at our annual Penguin Valentines event, where our colony of curious (and critically endangered) African penguins will munch fish and receive felt hearts from their admirers—and you will learn about the important animal husbandry and conservation work done by our Steinhart Aquarium biologists.

Read on for more ways to feel the love during your Academy visit.

Treat your VIP to a tour

Cute senior couple observe the Philippine Coral Reef through a porthole-style window at Cal Academy

From Feb. 13–17, our VIP Tour is getting a Valentine's Day makeover. "Love Is a Battlefield" takes guests behind the scenes of our scientific collections to discover some of the unusual ways species make a love connection—from promiscuous snails shooting love darts to pufferfish creating elaborate seafloor designs to woo a mate.

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Send a love letter

African penguins at Cal Academy play tug of war with a felt valentine

Tell your favorite Academy penguin (or anemone, or albino alligator, or human) how much they mean to you by filling out our love letter form. Feel free to remain anonymous, but why hide your feelings? Bonus points for rhyming!

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Encounter amorous animals

Juvenile Pycnopodia, or critically endangered sunflower sea stars, on exhibit at Cal Academy

Our "Animal Sex in the City" blog post features the steamiest Steinhart Aquarium love stories (aka reproductive strategies). Be sure to blow a birthday kiss to our baby sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) in Water Planet—they're turning one on Valentine's Day!

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More to explore
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Pocket Penguins iPhone app icon with two stylized penguins
Pocket Penguins App

Download our free app to stream our irresistible African penguin colony to your iPhone, Android, or AppleTV.

Two African penguins swimming in their habitat at the Academy
Live Penguin Cams

Watch our colony of playful African penguins waddle, swim, flirt, and nest on three live webcams.

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2 African penguins on exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences
Meet Our African Penguins

You love them. But can you name them? Identify our African penguins with this field guide to our colony.