A penguin famous for being in a same-sex male relationship at a Sydney aquarium has died at the age of 11, the Sea Life Aquarium has announced.
Gentoo penguins Sphen (left) and Magic inspired a float in the Sydney Mardi Gras parade and appeared in the Netflix sitcom AtypicalImage: SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium/AFP
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An Australian penguin famous for raising chicks as part of an unlikely same-sex couple has died, the Sydney Sealife Aquarium announced on Thursday.
"Staff at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium are heartbroken to share the news that Sphen, one-half of the world's most famous and loved gentoo penguin couples, has sadly passed away," the aquarium said in a statement.
Sea Life Aquarium said Sphen, who was the older partner in the "same-sex" penguin pair, died just shy of turning 12, considered a long life in captivity.
"Sphen and Magic shared a bond unlike most other penguin couples — they could even be found together outside of the breeding season, which is unique for gentoo penguins," the aquarium said.
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Gay icons
Male gentoo penguins Sphen and Magic built a nest of pebbles together in 2018, catching the attention of zookeepers and then the world.
They eventually hatched chicks, Sphengic in 2018 and Clancy two years later, after being given live eggs from other penguin couples to incubate.
Sphen and Magic were adopted as gay icons in Australia and abroad, inspiring a float in the Sydney Mardi Gras parade and appearing in the Netflix sitcom Atypical.
But they also had their critics, with some in conservative circles saying the penguins were being unwittingly used to push a political agenda.
10 animal species that show how being gay is natural
Same-sex pairing is not just normal in the animal kingdom - it's even common. Studies suggest that about 1,500 animal species are known to practice same-sex coupling - from insects, to fish, birds and mammals.
Among giraffes, there's more same-sex than opposite-sex activity. In fact, studies say gay sex accounts for more than 90 percent of all observed sexual activity in giraffes. And they don't just get straight to business. Male giraffes know how to flirt, first necking with each other - that is, gently rubbing their necks along the other's body. This foreplay can last for up to an hour.
Image: imago/Nature Picture Library
Social bottlenose dolphins
Both female and male bottlenose dolphins display homosexual behavior, including oral action where one dolphin stimulates the other with its snout. In the bottlenose world, homosexual activity occurs with about the same frequency as heterosexual play. Male bottlenose dolphins are generally bisexual - but they do go through periods of being exclusively homosexual.
Homosexuality is common among lions as well. Two to four males often form what is known as a coalition, where they work together to court female lions. They depend on each other to fend off other coalitions. To ensure loyalty, male lions strengthen their bonds by having sex with each other. Many researchers refer to this behavior as your classical "bromance" rather than homosexual pairing.
Image: ARTIS/R. van Weeren
Mounting bisons
Homosexual activity between male bisons is more common than heterosexual copulation. That's because female bisons only mate with bulls about once a year. During mating season, males that get the urge engage in same-sex activities several times a day. And so, more than 50 percent of mounting in young bison males happens among the same gender.
Image: imago/Nature Picture Library
Macaques' one-night stands
Both female and male macaques engage in same-sex activity. But while males usually only do so for a night, females form intense bonds with each other and are usually monogamous. In some macaque populations, homosexual behavior among females is not only common, but the norm. When not mating, these females stay close together to sleep and groom, and defend each other from outside enemies.
Image: picture alliance/robertharding
Albatross bonds
The Layson albatross, which nests in Hawaii, is known for its large number of homosexual partnerships. Around 30 percent of pairings on the island of Oahu are made up of two females. They are monogamous, and usually stay together for life - as it takes two parents to successfully rear a chick together. The chicks are often fathered by males that are already in another committed relationship.
Image: imago/Mint Images
Sex-crazed bonobos
Bonobos are considered the closest living relative to us humans, and are known for seeking sexual pleasure. They copulate frequently, including with the same sex. They do so for pleasure - but also to bond with each other, climb the social ladder and reduce tension. About two-thirds of homosexual activities happen among females, but also males enjoy a roll in the grass with each other.
Image: picture-alliance/F. Lanting
A fifth of all swan couples are gay
Like many birds, swans are monogamous and stick with one partner for years. Many of them choose a same-sex partner. In fact, around 20 percent of swan couples are homosexuals - and they often start families together. Sometimes, one swan in a male couple will mate with a female, and then drive her away once she's laid a clutch of eggs. In other cases, they adopt abandoned eggs.
Male walruses only reach sexual maturity at the age of 4. Until then, they are almost exclusively gay. Once they've reached maturity, most males are bisexual and mate with females during breeding season - while having sex with other males the rest of the year. It's not just gay sex though - the males also embrace each other and sleep close to one another in water.
Image: imago/Nature in Stock
Sheeps' preferences
Studies suggest that up to 8 percent of males in flocks of sheep prefer other males, even when fertile females are around. However, this only occurs among domestic sheep. Studies have found that these homosexual sheep have a different brain structure than their heterosexual counterparts, and release less sex hormones.
Image: Getty Images/M. cardy
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Team focuses on Magic
Aquarium general manager Richard Dilly said through Sphen and Magic's fame, the aquarium had been able to share important messages on conservation, plastic pollution, global warming and the importance of protecting wild penguins through fundraising initiatives.
"The team's focus is now on Magic, who will soon prepare for his first breeding season without Sphen," Dilly added.
To help Magic, who turns nine in November, process the loss, staff took him to see Sphen so that he could understand his partner wouldn't return, the aquarium said.
"He immediately started singing, which was beautifully reciprocated by the colony," it added.
Other same-sex penguin couples
It was not the first time that same-sex penguin couples have adopted eggs in captivity, and a handful of zoos around the world have reported similar cases.
In 2009, two male penguins — Z and Vielpunkt — successfully hatched and raised a chick who had been rejected by his heterosexual parents at the Berlin Zoo. In 2019, two other male penguins there — Skipper and Ping — also adopted an abandoned egg, but it failed to hatch.
They were preceded by Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at a New York zoo. They were frequently seen attempting to mate.
