The Memphis Zoo has christened a newborn endangered penguin chick with the name of a character from 'The Lord of the Rings'.

In October, the Memphis Zoo welcomed a baby chick and named the young penguin after a "Lord of the Rings" character, continuing a tradition.

In October 2023, at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, an African black-footed penguin named Elrond was born.

The penguin was the firstborn of parents Betty and Pippin.

Elrond's father, named after Peregrin (Pippin), was called Pippin in the "Lord of the Rings" series.

Elrond, a half-Elf and Lord of Rivendell, was named after the tradition that continued for Pippin's chick.

One of the 17 penguin species globally is the African black-footed penguin, as stated on the Memphis Zoo's website.

Despite the common association of penguins with cold weather, over half of them are classified as "warm weather" species, including the African black-footed penguin.

These penguins seek shelter when temperatures drop below a certain threshold.

According to the Memphis Zoo's website, currently there are 21 penguins residing at the zoo, with 11 males and 10 females.

Determining gender is challenging, requiring a blood or feather sample for accuracy.

Each penguin at Memphis Zoo is uniquely identifiable due to the band it wears.

At Memphis Zoo, there are other penguins besides Opus, the oldest who was born in January 2000, and Cameran, the largest penguin weighing around nine pounds.

Numerous zoos globally have adopted names from popular culture.

In January 2022, the first aardvark born at Chester Zoo in England was given the nickname "Dobby" after the house-elf from the "Harry Potter" series due to their resemblance.

Elrond is the 48th chick born at Memphis Zoo.

Before joining the other penguins in the African penguin colony at Memphis Zoo, the young chick will remain in the hatchery for a few more months.

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