BALD RALPH THE PENGUIN COVERS HIS MODESTY WITH WETSUIT

It's not much fun when you shed all your feathers - only to discover new ones aren't growing back.

The nine-year-old Humboldt penguin was left exposing his pale pink skin to all his chums when he bizarrely lost all his coat in one day, leaving him dangerously exposed to the sun.

But luckily for Ralph, zookeepers took pity on him and fitted him with a specially-designed wetsuit to cover his modesty.

EXPRESS GALLERY: RALPH GETS A WETSUIT

Yesterday the plucky chap was spotted swimming around with the other penguins in his new jacket - fashioned out of the leg of a staff member's wetsuit.

And judging by his unfazed look, Ralph is more than happy with his new accessory.

David Schofield, head keeper for the penguins, said: “At first the other penguins were curious but it wasn’t long before they recognised and accepted Ralph again.

“He doesn’t seem to mind the wetsuit and is able to swim and move around normally.

“It was quite easy to fit and we were able to customise it by creating the extra openings for his flippers once he was in it.”

EXPRESS GALLERY: AMAZING ANIMALS

Penguins have specialised feathers and each year they undergo a complete moult.

A new feather grows underneath the old one, forcing it out, meaning that the old feathers are not normally discarded until the new ones are in place.

Humboldt penguins live along the coasts of Peru and Chile, within the reaches of Humboldt Current, a cold current of water running from the Antarctic to the Equator, from which they take their name.

The species are sadly thought to be declining in number, possibly due to El Nino increasing water temperatures and reducing food supply.

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