In fact, homosexuality probably exists among all animals, and scientists are just realising it may play an essential role in the continuation of species. 

Mike Hitch reports.

Late in 2020, a news story popped up that seemed all too familiar. Yet another gay penguin couple had adopted an egg and were  happily nesting it.

Gay penguins seem to appear in the news with surprising regularity. Is it because penguins are particularly gay, or because in captivity it’s easy to observe their behaviour?

The pair of Gentoo penguins, named Sphen and Magic at Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, had just fostered a second egg. Sphen and Magic met and became a couple in 2018 and that same year successfully hatched a first egg – their daughter Lara – who they raised in their home at Darling Harbour. The egg originally came from a couple of penguins who had produced two eggs but could only nest one.

To human gays, adopting a child with your significant other the same year you meet seems hasty but when you’re a Gentoo penguin with a lifespan of roughly 13 years, it’s smart to get started quickly.

“Penguins, including Gentoo penguins, are among the many species in which male-male or female-female pairing occur frequently and we are fortunate to have our own male-male pair,” announced Sea Life Aquarium. “Just like our other Gentoo parents, Sphen and Magic are attentive and incredibly caring and we feel privileged to have such an amazing duo in our colony,” they said.

As it turns out, same-sex couples and courtship in many species are a lot more common than most people think.