Gay penguin ‘breaks into song after partner’s death’
A penguin whose gay partner died broke into song – prompting his whole colony to follow suit.
Sphen, an 11-year-old Gentoo penguin, and his partner Magic became “equality icons” in 2018 after adopting and raising two chicks.
The penguin couple inspired a Mardi Gras float, their inclusion in Australia’s education syllabus and a feature in Atypical, the Netflix series.
Sphen appears to have died of natural causes. Gentoo penguins, a sub-Antarctic species, have an average life span of 12 to 13 years in captivity.
The pair’s impact around the world was “immeasurable”, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium said on Thursday as they announced Sphen’s death.
The Sydney duo, dubbed the “penguin power couple”, stood out because of the longevity relationship – they stayed together for six years, half of Sphen’s life.
Aquarium staff first noticed the two males’ attraction when they started bowing to each other, a Gentoo way of flirting.
The pair later began to build a nest together and were eventually given foster eggs to incubate, hatching chicks Sphengic in 2018 and Clancy two years later.
After Sphen’s death, aquarium staff took eight-year-old Magic to see his body so he could understand his partner would not be coming home.
But when he saw Sphen, he immediately broke into song, followed by the other 45 penguins in the colony as they collectively mourned in sounds ranging from honks to brays, the aquarium said.
Some penguins have been observed gathering around the dead and emitting sounds previously.
“The loss of Sphen is heartbreaking to the penguin colony, the team, and everyone who has been inspired or positively impacted by Sphen and Magic’s story,” said Rachel Dilly, general manager at Sea Life, adding that the pair “captivated the world”.
“The team’s focus is now on Magic, who will soon prepare for his first breeding season without Sphen,” she said.
In tributes on the aquarium’s website, fans of the couple spoke about the joy and inspiration the penguin lovers had brought to their lives.
“Sphen’s gonna be having fun surfing the rainbow waves up there,” said Indah. “Penguin superstar, Sphen, thank you for being you. We will miss you.”
“Sphen and Magic were equality icons. My heart breaks for the keepers and the whole Sea Life Sydney team,” wrote Mark, another fan.
But their love story was not without its critics, with some in conservative circles saying the penguins were unwittingly being used to push a political agenda.
Same-sex couples among penguins are not unheard of, although they are often short-lived in the wild.
Sphen and Magic were also not the first homosexual penguins to have adopted eggs in captivity, with a handful of zoos worldwide reporting similar cases.
In 2009, two male penguins, Z and Vielpunkt, successfully hatched and reared a chick that was rejected by its heterosexual parents at a zoo in Berlin.