Why are penguins gay
What’s With All the Gay Penguins?
Over and over again, zoos and aquariums around the world are making headlines for their same-sex penguin couplings. One of the most iconic couples was Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins who began acting mating rituals at the Central Park Zoo in 1998. After successfully incubating a rock and then a dummy egg, zookeepers decided to give the loving couple a real, fertilized egg. Roy and Silo hatched a toddler, a female penguin named Tango. Tango then grew up to form a partnership with another female penguin named Tanuzi.
The list of gay penguin couples goes on and on and spans a wide range of species. Harry and Pepper were a pair of Magellenic penguins at the San Francisco Zoo. Sphen and Magic are a pair of male Gentoo penguins at SEA LIFE Aquarium in Sydney who hatched their first chick in 2018. Electra and Viola, also Gentoo penguins, are raising a chick at the L’Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain. At Zoo Berlin, two King penguins named Skipper and Ping hold been trying to become fathers, unfortunately with no luck. Ronnie and Reggie are a pair of Humboldt penguins in London. In the Netherlands, a gay African penguin couple rec
Penguin Homosexuality
The study of “homosexuality” in king penguins is the first of its kind, revealing that nearly thirty percent of penguin “displays”—a courtship behavior—occur in homosexual contexts. That proportion is important because some scientists have previously suggested that penguin homosexual displays are simply due to difficulty the penguins may have in telling their male and female peers apart. But the proportion of homosexual displays is lower than what would be expected were all encounters by chance, suggesting that something else is at play.
Specifically, the researchers think high levels of testosterone or disproportionately many males in the population could be the cause; the current proportion of males to females in the penguin colony is 1.65. Males returning to the colony from the sea are also consideration to carry excess testosterone.
Despite the homosexual displays, only two pairs of penguins bonded (meaning that they learned one another’s calls) homosexually, out of a total of seventy-five pairs; but all four “homosexuals” were later observed in heterosexual relationships.
The subject of homosexuality in nature has become a controversial topic because som
Gay penguins, mutual aid and the myth of survival of the fittest
Have you heard about gay penguins? You may remember Ray and Silo, the homosexual penguins of the Primary Park Zoo of 2004, proud parents of their own adopted chick. Since then, there have been dozens of gay penguins in zoos, in news articles, and even on TV’s “Parks and Recreation.”
Gay penguins often spark the question of whether or not homosexuality is “natural” in the animal society. Yes: From gay penguins, to lesbian lizards, to fish who can alter their sex in response to their environment, queerness is an integral part of the animal planet and nature doesn’t look after for the human-constructed boxes of male, female, unbent or gay.
But, for all the discourse about homosexual penguins, what’s often missed is the opportunity to talk about what role same-sex pairings play in animal groupings — in particular, mutual aid. Common aid is the thought that something that benefits any members of a community (human or non-human) benefits all members of a community and that community members are interdependent on each other’s well-being.
After the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, reciprocal aid networks, mostly led by Black and brow
Once upon a time, on a sunny day at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo formed a very special bond. Shortly after meeting, zoo personnel observed the two penguins engaging in mating rituals. Despite the fact that both penguins were male, this was the starting of a 6-year relationship. The bond was so strong, that they even tried to hatch a rock as if it were an egg. Eventually, zookeepers gave them a fertilized egg that eventually hatched, resulting in the couple raising a toddler penguin named Tango together.
Source: Pixabay/Pexels
The story, and many others like it, own become quite popular in the media—so popular that this particular romance inspired a children’s book called And Tango Makes Three. Not surprisingly, the story and the book that came with it stirred up a lot of negative attention as successfully, and currently And Tango Makes Three is banned in some areas of Florida. But why all the fuss over such a sweet love story? Why does the notion of two same-sex penguins engaging in romantic habit make people so upset?
For decades, groups of people have castigated same-sex sexual behavior as unnatural. The logic is that sexual encounters between same-sex i
Why are penguins so gay? An investigation
Look, we know that the world can seem like a cruel and unforgiving place, full of political turmoil, apocalyptic threats, and horrors beyond human comprehension. Every now and then, though, an objectively heartwarming story pops up to remind us of why life is worth living. Yes, we’re talking about the gay penguins at an Oceanarium in Europe’s queer capital… Bournemouth.
Earlier this week (July 4), it was announced that the homo penguins – Diego and Zorro, who currently occupy the top 0.2% of OnlyFins, apparently – hatched a novel baby chick. They had taken on the responsibility of caring for a fertilised egg after they successfully incubated a fake one, and the nestling named Ponyo (adorable), arrived “just in time for Bournemouth’s Pride celebrations” this weekend. A lot cheaper than hiring a surrogate.
“We're joyful to let you all know that Ponyo is settling in well at the Oceanarium,” the aquarium says in its announcement, adding: “They will continue off show for a little while longer whilst they find their content feet.” (Come through Fathers4Justice!)
Ponyo the penguin isn’t the first chick to hatch under the nurture of the hunky Die