Yep, you heard right, gay penguins. Leave it up to Daily Mail to break the most bizarre stories ever. Two same sex penguins in a New York zoo built a nest together. Penguins Elmer and Lima incubated a dummy egg before being given a fertilized one that they both incubated until it was hatched.
The couple’s surrogate baby penguin was born healthy on New Years Day and is reportedly still doing quite well.
Gay Penguins Are Actually Not New
Ted Fox, the zoo director, said not all penguin pairs were good at incubating eggs but “Elmer and Lima were exemplary in every aspect of egg care”.
The same-sex foster couple are a first for the zoo; although several other institutions have seen success with same-sex penguins tending eggs together. Last year another same sex penguin was recognized for their third year anniversary of being together in a ‘relationship’.
They are still going strong this year; celebrating their third anniversary,” Kiera Ponting, Sea Life’s penguin keeper, was quoted in Newsverve. “They have moved house and are in a brand new nest location and are still one of our strongest couples in the exhibit.”
Do Penguins Have Romantic Feelings
A study done in 2010 revealed about 30% of penguins exhibit ‘courtship’ behavior. In regard to them having same sex feelings, they can’t tell who a male or female penguin is. I suppose it’s interesting to ponder….or not.
Wonderful story
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