[Columbia, SC] - While Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's new Gentoo penguins have never made the 70-mile Antarctic trek documented in last year's blockbuster March of the Penguins, they did recently march from the penguin isolation room at Riverbanks' Bird House where they were under quarantine to the Zoo's popular Penguin Coast exhibit.

"When the door to the exhibit opened, it was quite something to watch 10 of these spectacular birds waddle down the hall and into their new home," said Martin Vince, assistant curator of birds at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

These Gentoos are significant for a number of reasons. They come from Orlando's Sea World Park, an institution that has one of the most notable collections of penguins in the world. There are only a handful of institutions in the United States that keep Gentoo penguins, a bird native to the subantarctic islands. Gentoos are considered to be the fastest underwater swimmer of all birds, reaching speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.

"The fact that SeaWorld felt Riverbanks was the place for these birds to go says a lot about the quality of both our exhibit and our bird keepers," Vince said.

The Gentoos replace Riverbanks' African penguins that were recently dispersed to the Georgia Aquarium, Knoxville Zoo and Tulsa Zoo. The African penguins, native to the coast of Namibia and South Africa, didn't make much geographic sense in the same exhibit as Rockhoppers and King penguins, also birds native to the subantarctic islands.

"These penguins are one of the most exciting additions we have ever made to the bird collection," Vince said. "When they're in the water, there's nothing like them – they're perfect little rockets."

The agreement to move the Gentoos to Riverbanks had been in the works since last year. However, after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in September, finding a refrigerated truck to move the birds North proved challenging.

"We called all over Columbia and Orlando. Every refrigerated truck available for rent was already in New Orleans helping with the relief effort. It forced us to put the transport on hold for quite a few months," Vince said.

When Penske finally stepped forward with a truck in early January, bird keepers outfitted it with rubberized matting and 10 inches of man-made snow, produced at SeaWorld's penguin exhibit. The snow helped keep the birds cool and provided the penguins with good traction for the 8-hour drive to Columbia, keeping them from toppling as the truck drove back to Riverbanks. The air temperature in the back of the truck was maintained at a cool 45 degrees for the duration of the trip from Florida.

The penguins have been in quarantine since they arrived on January 6. Last weekend, they saw their exhibit for the first time and met their new neighbors – three King penguins and 13 Rockhoppers.

Wild Gentoo penguins are monogamous breeders and it is hoped that at least some of them will form bonded pairs.

Riverbanks will be hosting a contest to name the 10 penguins. Penguin fans can enter their name suggestions online at www.riverbanks.org starting February 24 through March 15. Winners will be announced online on March 20 and will win a behind-the-scenes tour of Riverbanks' penguin exhibit where they can meet their namesake.