Every Valentine’s Day, the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park hosts a special celebration for its penguin colony. The adorable penguins receive felt hearts, and then they exchange them with each other. Typically, male penguins accept the felt hearts and give the Valentine’s to the female penguins, who use the soft hearts to line their nests. The valentines all bear charming messages handwritten by high school interns from the Academy’s Careers in Science program.
It’s utterly adorable, if you ask us, and is the perfect wholesome way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You can watch the penguins get their adorable Valentines on Saturday, February 14 , during the penguins’ regular feeding time at 10:30 am in the African Hall. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch from a live stream (which is on 24/7 in case you’re like us and need a daily dose of the adorable penguins).
This year, the Academy of Sciences has a social media contest to vote for your favorite penguin couple among the eight bonded pairs. Voting started on February 9 and will run through the 13th.
The penguins at the California Academy of Sciences are African Penguins, which are considered critically endangered, and the museum plays an important role in conservation efforts. While the Valentine’s are adorable to us, they are also an enrichment activity for the penguins. In the wild, penguins build nests from leaves, sticks, and other materials, and the Valentine’s hearts serve as a bonding experience between couples that can encourage breeding.
The museum recently boasted a “penguin baby boom” with 10 chicks hatching in 14 months starting in 2022.
If you’re still looking for Valentine’s Day plans this year, you can check out the museum’s Mix and Mingle NightLife event on Thursday, which features a dating event where you can pitch your friend to a crowd, tarot readings, and more fun activities. For now, be sure and vote for your favorite penguin couple here.