Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

The issue of stress and whether the molt itself is stressful to penguins has not been examined. At Mystic Aquarium we are striving to establish the baseline immunological status of our collection animals so that in the event of illness, we can use this information to help us better understand the disease and treatment options.

Since there are known stress effects on the immune system in other species, this study will also provide a good opportunity to concurrently examine hematocrit and stress related changes in selected factors in molt and non-molt periods.

This study will address the issue of reduced blood hematocrits during molt periods and attempt to determine whether this is “normal” during molt. Additionally the study will address the issue of stress during molting and the effects on the immune system to better understand what is normal during this yearly event and to compare to non-molting times.