A six-month study by Oakland University alumna Amanda Lechnar on the underwater behavior of gentoo penguins at the Detroit Zoo’s Polk Penguin Conservation Center is changing the way researchers are looking at how animals in captivity interact with each other and their environment.
A six-month study by Oakland University alumna Amanda Lechnar on the underwater behavior of gentoo penguins at the Detroit Zoo’s Polk Penguin Conservation Center is changing the way researchers are looking at how animals in captivity interact with each other and their environment.
“Identifying and following an individual penguin underwater is no easy task,” said Dr. Matthew Heintz, animal welfare research associate for the Detroit Zoological Society. “Amanda did an incredible job observing gentoo penguins to better understand their underwater behavior.
“The Detroit Zoological Society’s Center for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics has been studying penguin welfare for several years and Amanda’s research has been a great contribution to that body of knowledge,” Heintz added
Lechnar, who grew up in Rochester, graduated from OU in April with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Between September 2016 and February 2017, she spent more than 90 hours at the Detroit Zoo observing 10 gentoo penguins — five male and five female — as part of her Honors College thesis project.
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Image via Oakland University.
