Long Beach zoo penguins play with iPad using their beaks

• App called Game for Cats was originally designed for feline players
• Keepers found penguins played using their beaks to tap the screen

By Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:59 EST, 5 January 2015 | Updated: 19:17 EST, 5 January 2015

A California zoo has begun holding regular iPad gaming sessions - for its penguins.

Staff at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach say its animals love to play a game originally designed for cats.

However, instead of using paws, they peck at the screen to try and catch a stray mouse that runs around in the game.

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Jeremy, a Magellanic Penguin at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach playing the iPad app Game For Cats. Instead of using paws, he pecks at the screen to try and catch a stray mouse.

Sara Mandel at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach said she originally tried out the game at home.

'It's a game called 'Game for Cats' - but we found the penguins like to hang out with it.

'I'd originally bought it for my cats, but I put in down in their enclosure and two of the penguins just started pecking at it.'

The team were astonished when the birds instantly took to the game, chasing an on-screen mouse and managing to score highly on the game by tapping their beaks on the screen.

Two Magellanic penguins, Jeremy and Newson, began the game, but Mandel says many of the animals now regularly play.

'The animals all started playing with it.

'We even find they get so engrossed we can examine them.'

However, she is hopeful that an ever better game could come along for the animals.

'We know they like this game, and we know they like shiny objects - so we are hoping someone will put the two together.'

Zoo volunteer Hugo Ryono first experiments with the game at the zoo in 2013.

He had the idea after a discussion with keepers about the iPad app 'Game for Cats' and wondering if it could be used as an enrichment aid for the penguins.

The animals have even started top play the game together

Sara Mandel at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach said she originally tried out the game at home.

'Just like cats penguins are very curious and the idea of these birds following a virtual mouse on a screen was just too appealing to me not to try out.

'Dusting off my old iPad 1 and loading Game for Cats app on it we set up a penguin video arcade in the exhibit last week.'

'Sure enough when Jeremy and Newsom noticed the iPad in the exhibit they both waddled on over. Jeremy was the first to try it out but Newsom was the one that really got into it.

'Stalking the virtual mouse intently he tried to pick it up repeatedly with his beak.

'Newsom especially seemed to like the squeak that the mouse made when he put his beak on the virtual critter.

'The mouse was self reinforcing for this penguin.

'Newsom set the penguin high score of 1600 for the game.'