An adorable same-sex penguin couple in Spain have both become mums to a chick after adopting and hatching an egg, and it’s adorable.
Electra and Viola, both female penguins, hatched another penguin’s egg at the Oceanogràfic aquarium in Valencia, Spain.
The aquarium’s staff shared the happy news in a blog post on their website.
They explained the penguin’s caregivers saw Electra and Viola courting each other in a way commonly associated with penguins preparing to breed. The two females built a nest together out of stones.
As a result, the staff decided to take a fertile egg from another couple for Electra and Viola to adopt. The same-sex penguin couple began incubating the egg themselves.
According to the aquarium, the chick is one of three to recently hatch within their colony of 25 Gentoo penguins. But Electra and Viola are the aquarium’s first set of same-sex parents.
Oceanogràfic shared several photographs of the trio on social media, writing “Welcome to the world little one!”
Electra y Viola, dos pingüinos hembras del Oceanogràfic València 🐧♥️🐧 han incubado el huevo de otra pareja y ahora…
Posted by Oceanogràfic València on Monday, August 17, 2020
Australian same-sex penguins Sphen and Magic are raising young girl
Electra and Viola join several other same-sex penguin couples around the world, including our own gay couple in Australia.
Male gentoo penguins Sphen and Magic at Sea Life Sydney became an inseparable couple during the 2018 breeding season.
They were seen bowing to each other – a common way of showing love – and also built an ice pebble nest together for breeding season.
The two hatched baby Sphengic after handlers gave them a foster egg to practice.
The adorable penguin family then went viral around the world.
“[Sphen and Magic] are the ones with the biggest, most beautiful and possibly neatest nest in the entire exhibit,” supervisor Tish Hannan explained.
“They’re fantastic parents – both very loyal and protective. Baby Sphengic had an excellent start to life under their care.
“Penguin parents share equal responsibility of raising young. So whilst baby Sphengic is a female on paper, that’s where the role ends.
“She’ll grow up to play both mummy and daddy one day – just like Sphen and Magic.”
Last year, females Marama and Rocky also welcomed a chick at their London aquarium home.
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