by Alan Nemirovski Image from: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/same-sex-penguin-parents-sphengic-baby/index.html In October of 2018, a baby penguin (a chick), was brought into this world by a couple — comprised of two male gentoo penguins — weighing in at just 91 grams. Days ago, the chick’s gender was finally revealed to the world: it’s a girl!
The couple was given a dummy egg to incubate first, however, when another couple of penguins laid two eggs during the breeding season, the same-sex pair took one in. Gentoo penguin usually lay two eggs, one acting as a “backup”. They only have ressources to care for one chick, while the “backup” usually dies, so while the couple who laid the eggs cared for one of them, they entrusted the same-sex couple to take the other one in to raise as their own. According to staff at the aquarium, Sphen and Magic, also referred to sometimes as Sphengic, developed a strong bond during breeding season. They were also seen together by many visitors of the aquarium. The chick is nicknamed “Baby Sphengic”, after her parents, as the staff at the aquarium were not aware of her gender until recently. This is because male and female penguins don’t have defined gender roles. Even during incubation, Sphen and Magic shared duties; one would incubate the egg, while the other would be on the lookout for any threats. Because of the undefined gender roles, it takes about two months and even a blood test to confirm the gender of a penguin. Baby Sphengic is said to be just over 5 kilograms, and is said to have a healthy appetite. She is “a fully fledged bird”, and is even receiving swimming lessons. It will be exciting to follow and see what she will be up to in the coming months, and even years.
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