Sydney’s Same-Sex Penguin Couple, Magic & Sphen, Become Parents

The male penguin couple that became an internet sensation as a “same-sex couple” has welcomed a baby chick on Friday according to Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium. 

The couple, now known as “Sphengic” were spotted waddling around each other by the staff at the Aquarium. They noticed that Magic and Sphen recognized each other’s signature calls and songs, just as any other penguin pair. At the beginning of the month, the aquarium decided to test the pairs nurturing skills by giving them a dummy egg. After passing with flying colors, they then gave the couple a real egg.

Today the yet-to-be-named chick weighs 91 grams and has become the Australian aquariums first sub-Antarctic penguin chick. 

Tish Hannan, an aquarium official, said that the baby “has already stolen our hearts. We love watching the proud parents doting and taking turns caring for their baby chick.”

“With that said, the first 20 days of a penguin chick’s life are the most vulnerable so it is extra important the chick is very happy, healthy and well fed by his parents,” Hannon continued. “We can’t wait for the world to fall in love with Baby Sphengic as they did with our amazing same-sex couple, Sphen and Magic.”

Magic and Sphen will share equal parenting and feeding responsibilities for their unnamed chick for its first six weeks as they feed her before she begins to grow and learn how to swim.

Sphengic is not the first same-sex couple among zoos across the world. It was noted that in the children’s book that is based on a real story, And Tango Makes Three, two penguins at New York’s Central Park Zoo also drew attention for their untraditional family structure.n