San Francisco Zoo Introduces the 'Jingle Penguins'

San Francisco Zoo Introduces the 'Jingle Penguins'

The San Francisco Zoo released this video of penguins singing "Jingle Bells" in honor of their first-ever zoo lights celebration.

"A few months ago I got a call from a sound producer at Skywalker Sound," Abbie Tuller, San Francisco Zoo communications director, told ABC News. "He was hoping to come to the zoo to capture some sounds of the animals. I said, 'Absolutely.' The penguins are some of our most vocal animals. We had this idea for the 'Jingle Penguins.'"

Tuller asked whether the producer could take live sounds from the penguins and edit them into the "Jingle Bells" tune. He obliged, and now the YouTube video has nearly 1,300 views since it was originally posted Nov. 29.

The penguins are part of the only colony of Magellanic penguins in captivity. The San Francisco Zoo has a successful breeding program.

"The Magellanic penguin's common name comes from the Straits of Magellan, a series of waterways at the southern tip of South America, where this species of penguin can be found," according to the zoo's website.

"We have a genius video editor on staff and she edited the video together with his sounds. The penguins are lip-syncing," Tuller joked.

She added, "We really like it, but you're never sure if you've nailed it or not. But we're getting a great response. People just go kooky over penguins."