KEY POINTS:
With an old, fat, lazy father and a mother who everyone thought was a male, the odds had to be against this new arrival.
The birth of a 16-day-old, as yet un-named, little blue penguin is causing plenty of excitement at the Penguin Encounter at Christchurch's International Antarctic Centre.
The smallest species of penguin does not tend to breed easily in captivity and incubating the eggs in the past had failed.
So this time, staff left it up to nature and were rewarded with the centre's first successful hatching since opening two years ago.
"At the moment it's just an eating machine," said penguin ranger Sally Rogers.
"It's a third the size of its parents already. It's like a giant butt with a head ... and some big feet."
The baby penguin, whose sex is so far unknown, was born to father Fats - described as the centre's "fattest and laziest" penguin, and mother Zane - who keepers thought was a male until she "hooked up with Fats and laid an egg".
Because the reproductive organs of the penguins are all internal, DNA is normally used to identify the gender.
"They are both pretty old as well, so it's quite an unusual combination."
Fats is 16 years old and Zane is 12. Most penguins in the wild live to about 7 or 8.
The pair created a nest out of cabbage tree leaves and took turns sitting on two eggs for 36 days.
The centre has had six more eggs laid, and expects it could have up to four more births in the coming weeks.
It is hoped the new arrival will remain at the centre, but because its parents are originally from the North Island, it will require a permit from the Department of Conservation.
The little blue penguin lives in the wild throughout New Zealand, and thrives in areas that are predator-free.
