Everyone knows you can’t help who you fall for and luckily for Sphen and Magic, two same-sex Gentoo penguins, their whirlwind romance is receiving support from all over the world.
The hot new couple are residents of Sydney’s Sealife Aquarium, where it’s currently breeding season.
In the lead up to this important time, staff at the aquarium noticed that the penguins were displaying affectionate behaviour towards each other. The pair were constantly together, going for swims and collecting pebbles, which is a key indication of nesting.
According to the aquarium's website, Gentoo penguins instinctually gather pebbles in order to create nesting rings to incubate their eggs. They then alternate tasks, whereby one penguin will sit in the nest and the other will patrol the area to ward off any threats.
To prevent the couple from being excluded, Sphen and Magic, collectively known as Sphenic, were given a dummy egg to test their parenting skills and they passed with flying colours! So much so, that staff decided to give them a real egg from another couple who had two.
via GIPHY
Sealife say that the pair "make a great team" and that they both have unique skills to bring to the hatching process:
"Whilst Sphen is older and is excellent at incubating, Magic is younger and still mastering his skill."
Sphen even popped the question to Magic by giving him a "special stone", which according to the aquarium, is the equivalent of a diamond on the flipper!
We think the pair are in for the long haul and will last the test of time. You can't fight a love like Sphenic's.
