(RZSoS via SWNS)
By Jack Fifield
Cute photos show newly-hatched penguins — weighing less than a pack of chocolate bars.
Three gentoo penguin chicks hatched at Edinburgh Zoo on Wednesday weighing around 98g at birth.
They are roughly the weight of a bar of soap — or less than a standard bar of chocolate.
Video shows an adorable young chick huddling with its parent and eating some food as it tries to keep balanced.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which released the imagery, says it expects to welcome more chicks in the coming weeks.
The chicks are being cared for by their parents at the zoo’s Penguins Rock — the largest outdoor penguin pool in Europe.
(RZSoS via SWNS)
More than 100 penguins live at the pool. They can be seen by visitors or watched on a live webcam feed on the Edinburgh Zoo website.
Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming of all penguins — reaching water speeds of up to 22 mph, the zoo says.
During breeding season, the penguins build nests from small stones — often stealing stones from neighbors, leading to arguments.
Both male and female penguins, who usually stay with the same partner each year, take turns incubating the eggs over 34 to 37 days.
They are native to the coasts and islands of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic, and prefer ice-free shorelines.
The species is able to stay underwater for seven minutes, and can dive to depths of 665 feet.
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