Sphinx and magician (collectively referred to as "Sphinx") are two rare male penguins in Sydney Marine Life Aquarium. They are young and in love, and they are about to enter the pantheon of rare same-sex penguins with their parents, thanks to a foster egg generously entrusted to the couple by the aquarium.
According to a statement from Sydney Marine Life, Sphen and Magic began to look at each other several months ago, before the breeding season began. The statement said that the two penguins soon became inseparable, and people often saw them dragging along the fence, swimming side by side, and even collecting pebbles to build nests. The statement said:
"Parents of Papua penguins keep their eggs warm on cobblestone nesting rings." Exchange responsibilities every day. When one parent tries to hatch eggs, the other parent will patrol around the nest to avoid any possible cobblestone thieves or curious neighbors.
At the beginning of the breeding season, the Sphinx and the magician accumulated more stones in their enclosure than other penguin couples, as if eager to hatch an egg. Of course, the problem is that neither the Sphinx nor magic can have their own. So, the aquarium gave two "fake" eggs to practice taking care of, lest the couple feel excluded from the hustle and bustle of mating season.
The couple proved that they were such reliable parents that the aquarium later provided them with a real egg, which was filled in their flippers by another Papua couple. According to the aquarium, the Sphinx and magic "form a great team" to perform the duties of parents, and their eggs seem to be well taken care of.
If the eggs of the Sphinx finally hatch, it won't be the first time that two male penguins have been imprisoned as fathers. In 2000, two hooded penguins named Roy and Silo successfully hatched a foster egg in new york Central Park Zoo. Their healthy baby tango even became the protagonist of a children's book Tango Makes Three People (Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing House, 2005).
Alas, silo and Roy's enclosure culture can't make their love last long. In 2004, a more aggressive couple kicked them out of their nest, and their relationship never recovered from the riots. According to * * *, Silo finally mated with a sexy marine penguin named "Fighting", while Roy dated a group of heartless male bachelors.
Silo's new love affair seems to be betrayal, but it is actually very common in penguin love-just like same-sex penguins flirting. According to a study in the 20 10 issue of Animal Behavior: International Journal of Behavioral Biology, in a colony of emperor penguins on a desert island in the South Indian Ocean, researchers observed that 15 of 53 pairs of penguins were courting, accounting for about 28% of courting spouses, and only two males were completely "combined"; In other words, they learned their partner's unique voice, so that if they are separated, they can reunite. However, before the end of the mating season, both male penguins marry a female penguin and are regarded as protecting their eggs.
Although same-sex courtship may be common among male penguins, same-sex parenting is a rarer and more difficult task for these penguins. This is the best wish for the Sphinx, magic and their little feathers! "
Originally published in Life Science.