Fairy penguin: Sea Life Weymouth penguin first to have MRI scan
- Published
- comments
Chaka the fairy penguin, has become the first of his species to have an MRI scan, in what is thought to be a world-first.
Chaka lives at Sea Life in Weymouth and had been a bit wobbly on his feet, so the team decided to ask the vets to do an MRI scan.
The scan went well and showed there wasn't anything to be worried about, so he's now back with his colony at the aquarium.
MRI stands for magnetic resonances imaging, and it uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to give a detailed images of the inside of the body.
The first fairy penguin to have an MRI
It's thought that Chaka was the first fairy penguin to have an MRI - a scan which takes a detailed picture of the inside of your body
The team at Sea Life wanted to book Chaka in for a scan because he had some balance issues which meant he wobbled a bit when waddling.
The scan was done by the vets at Cave Veterinary Specialists in Somerset and he is the first penguin of his species to have a MRI.
Scanning a penguin was certainly something new for the team of vets and the challenge was keeping Chaka settled.
Fairy penguins, also known as little blue penguins are the smallest species of penguin.
They are a blue-grey colour.
They are native to New Zealand and Australia
"Unlike the cats and dogs we regularly treat, penguins can hold their breath for a considerable time, so our dedicated team made sure to closely monitor Chaka during the scan," said Pippa Tucker one of the team at Cave Veterinary Specialists.
Chaka has become a penguin pioneer. Although his own waddle may still be a little wobbly, he has made great strides for the world of veterinary science and the penguin world.
The scan went well and didn't show any issues with Chaka's health.
Now the images of Chaka will now help improve the knowledge of the fairy penguin species at the aquarium and all around the world.
"This MRI scan is significant in enabling us to start to gather data about the skull and the bone structure for this species, as after comprehensive research, we could not find any historical MRI images for a Little Blue Penguin elsewhere," said Kico Iraola, Curator at Sea Life Weymouth.
Chaka may still have a wobbly walk but he has helped improved the scientific knowledge of the species.
- Published20 January 2023
- Published22 April 2023
- Published20 January 2022
