Watch: Adorable moment penguin chicks named Ant & Dec born at Birmingham Sea Life Centre

Two tiny penguin chicks have been making waves at National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham, as the newest additions to a famous lineage of TV royalty.

The adorable twins are the babies of a penguin called Rosie who was affectionately named by ITV Lorraine’s presenter Lorraine Kelly, after her own daughter.

Now Lorraine has joyfully named Rosie’s two new arrivals live on her show today Thursday (July 20) choosing the names Ant and Dec, saying: “I’ve been asked to come up with a name, so I can exclusively reveal that they have to be called Ant and Dec! Because Ant and Dec are really, really cute and gorgeous and lovely, and so are those penguin chicks. So welcome to the world Ant and Dec and I’ll come and see you soon.”

Lorraine and Rosie were first linked when the TV presenter featured an unlucky in love penguin called Prince on her show back in 2019, with TV personality Jake Quickenden giving the solo male advice on how to find a mate.

Prince then did exactly that, pairing with fellow Gentoo penguin Hyacinth and together bringing Rosie into the world, on May 15, 2019. Rosie, named after Lorraine’s only daughter, then went on to find her mate for life in Sniffler, before the pair welcomed their first chicks last month.

Ant and Dec, the adorable twosome, were born on June 2, weighed 96 grams and 101 grams as hatchlings, and – with a lot of fish and plenty of love – have since grown to be nearly three kilograms each. The rapidly growing chicks have already stolen the hearts of countless visitors at the National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham, as well as that of their fairy cod-mother Lorraine.

Rosie and Sniffler aren’t the only new parents at the site, however, with other penguin couples Flash and Madonna, and Gordy and Sara also welcoming new penguin chicks, equating to four additions to the SEA LIFE family. Aside from being adorable new additions to SEA LIFE Birmingham, the births of these chicks are also an important step in the site’s anti-climate-change efforts.

Gentoo penguins are great ambassadors for all wildlife found on the Antarctic Peninsula, a location which is under great threat from climate change, microplastic pollution and the negative effects of human activity. It is hoped that the new chicks will help support experts at SEA LIFE Birmingham in educating people about climate change and the importance of conservation.

Amy Langham, General Manager at National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham said: “The births of Ant and Dec and the other chicks has been a really exciting time for the entire team and all of our visitors and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our amazing animal care team.

“It is an honour to welcome and look after TV presenter Lorraine’s honorary penguin grand-chicks and we look forward to watching them grow even more under the watchful eye of their mum Rosie.

“We’re passionate about raising awareness and taking steps against the issues faced by wild penguins, including climate change and declining numbers, and are proud to be doing exactly that with the help of our new chicks.”

National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham is home to a happy colony of Gentoo penguins. The noisy huddle can be found in the new refreshed Penguin Ice Adventure habitat, often up to mischief and happy to wave a flipper to any guests who visit. To learn more about the centre’s conservation efforts go to National SEA LIFE Centre in Birmingham conservation.