SF’s famed wetsuit-wearing Pierre the penguin dies at age 33

In this Thursday, April 17, 2008 file photo, Pierre the Penguin, wears his wetsuit at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Pierre, the San Francisco penguin who once sported a wetsuit and also starred in a children book, has died at the age off 33. The California Academy of Sciences announced that Pierre the penguin, the oldest bird in the academy's colony of African penguins, died recently from kidney failure. less In this Thursday, April 17, 2008 file photo, Pierre the Penguin, wears his wetsuit at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Pierre, the San Francisco penguin who once sported a wetsuit and also starred in a ... more Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close SF’s famed wetsuit-wearing Pierre the penguin dies at age 33 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Pierre the penguin, a fixture at the California Academy of Sciences and best known for donning a miniature wetsuit when he failed to grow feathers, has died of kidney failure, officials confirmed Friday.

He was 33.

Pierre, despite his three-year featherless period, lived a full life, tending to the nest he shared with his longtime lady friend Homey, enjoying a spot of herring here and there and fathering more than a dozen offspring.

It was 2005 when the plucky African penguin lost his feathers for reasons that remain a mystery. He began to feel insecure, as many of us would without our normal coverings, and lost interest in eating and hanging out with Homey.

The other penguins rudely ostracized Pierre.

“It made him look different. The bird that stands out is drawing attention, which isn't good. You don't want to draw attention to yourself when you are potentially prey,” Brenda Melton, curator for the aquarium, told The Chronicle in 2014. “Pierre became a liability.”

Pam Schaller, an aquatic biologist, swooped in to restore Pierre’s confidence with a custom wetsuit that got him back in the water and, more importantly, back in the good graces of Homey. He returned to their nest around 2008 when his feathers reappeared.

Once his feathers returned, Pierre came to dominate the academy’s penguin exhibit as the alpha bird, said Vikki McCloskey, assistant aquarium curator.

“He enjoyed being lord and master of the exhibit,” McCloskey said.

A children’s book written about Pierre remains a popular item at the academy’s bookstore.

African penguins usually live to age 20. So at 33, Pierre was an elder statesman at the academy’s Steinhart Aquarium. His waddle slowed in recent years and he developed cataracts, but he remained active and continued to enjoy the company of Homey in “every way possible,” McCloskey said.

But Pierre’s tenders noticed a slowing in his gait three weeks ago. Within a few days, he had died.

“We’re just glad that it went quickly. Everyone is grateful for that,” McCloskey said. “But it’s difficult because he was so iconic. He did so much to bring awareness to the species.”

African penguins, or Spheniscus demersus as they are referred to in zoology textbooks, are listed as endangered. So Pierre’s progeny have done their part to help bolster the struggling species. He is survived by Homey, 16 chicks, 26 grandchicks and at least 11 great-grandchicks who reside in aquariums around the world, from Idaho to Hawaii, Minnesota to New Mexico and Japan.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com