The first baby of the New Year is one thing, but the caretakers at Galveston’s Moody Gardens are bragging about the first Gentoo of 2008.

Weighing in at 104 grams and standing just 4-inches tall, the Gentoo penguin was born early Tuesday morning in the South Atlantic Exhibit of the Aquarium Pyramid of Moody Gardens.

The New Year baby joins three others that hatched just before the end of 2007. Moody Gardens officials said they expect more hatchlings to emerge later in the week, including a King penguin, Chinstrap penguin and four more Gentoo.

“This breeding season appears to be our most successful since opening the penguin exhibit,” said Moody Garden’s Greg Whittaker, who is the manager of animal husbandry for the popular island attraction.