As London paints itself in vibrant rainbow hues for Pride Month, a heartwarming story unfolds on ice, within the city’s Sea Life London Aquarium.
It is a tale of two female penguins who remind us that love transcends all, even in the animal kingdom.
Rocky and Marama, a pair of female Gentoo penguins, are possibly one of London’s most successful couples.
Are you LGBTQIA+ and working in STEM?
Metro.co.uk and New Scientist Jobs have teamed up to conduct a global survey of LGBTQIA+ experiences in STEM industries, and we want to hear from you.
Click here to take part.
‘Both penguins came to us from New Zealand. They paired up at some point a few years ago and have been together since,’ says Joe Feasy-Kemp, display supervisor at the aquarium.
‘Penguins do pair for a long time. Some species pair for life. Rocky and Marama have been together for a good five, six years now, probably longer, and they’re doing really well.’
Various species of animals have formed unique partnerships that challenge the traditional notion of heterosexual pairings, but penguins might be the most well-known. The concept of gender itself is a hazy one among penguins.
Pride Month 2023
Pride Month is here, with members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies celebrating their identities, accomplishments, and reflecting on the struggle for equality throughout June.
This year, Metro.co.uk is exploring the theme of family, and what it means to the LGBTQ+ community.
Find our daily highlights below, and for our latest LGBTQ+coverage, visit our dedicated Pride page.
Distinguishing between male and female penguins can be a challenging task, as they often share similar physical characteristics.
‘There’s no real way to tell the difference between male and female penguins. Even penguins can’t tell the difference between the sexes,’ explains Feasy-Kemp.
‘The only way to tell a female penguin apart from a male is either DNA testing, or you see one lay an egg.’
Rocky is now 11, and Marama is 22, but these two don’t seem to mind the age gap as they’re still going strong.
They were seen as such a successful couple that the aquarium gave them an egg to raise, which they did all the way to chickhood.
Ziggy, the adopted daughter of the same-sex couple, lives in the same aquarium – and she’s thriving.
‘They’re really good parents. We’ve seen the great job they’ve done sharing the roles of sitting on Ziggy, keeping her warm, feeding her,’ says Feasy-Kemp. ‘They did better than some of the other parents.’
Even in the wild, same-sex penguin pairs engage in nesting and parenting activities, building nests together, taking turns incubating eggs, or even adopting abandoned eggs or chicks.
While they may not produce offspring naturally, these penguin couples still play a crucial role in fostering the survival of the species by being great adoptive parents and providing care that might otherwise be lacking.
‘With penguins, the job of raising the chick is exactly the same. Male or female, they share the workload,’ says Feasy-Kemp.
‘So two female penguins will do just as good a job as two male penguins or a female and male couple.’
What does being a couple mean for penguins though?
‘A couple will literally just hang out, do everything together. They will mate and find an area to build a nest. On average, they’ll be together about three years, but for some, it goes on much longer, and they will mate for life,’ says Feasy-Kemp. ‘So they just really love each other and recognize each other.
‘You do have some penguins who are players, but there’s others who are just so hopelessly romantic, and it’s so cute.’
Penguin dating 101
Penguins are known for their charming courtship rituals, particularly the presentation of pebbles.
‘One of the first steps in finding a mate is finding the perfect pebble,’ explains Feasy-Kemp.
During breeding season, penguins often go on a quest to find the perfect pebble to impress their potential mates.
They carefully select smooth and polished pebbles, sometimes even travelling long distances to locate the most desirable ones. These pebbles hold symbolic significance, representing dedication, commitment, and the ability to provide a suitable nest for future offspring.
If a penguin accepts a pebble, they place it in their nest, indicating interest. This exchange of pebbles seals the deal for penguins.
‘They will then present it to their chosen partner,’ says Feasy-Kemp. ‘If they accept it, they’ll go on to build a nest together.’
The behaviour is particularly seen in species like the Gentoo penguins Marama and Rocky.
MORE : Edinburgh Zoo welcomes first penguin chick of 2023 and it’s a cutie
MORE : Penguin becomes world’s first to have an MRI scan because he couldn’t stop wobbling
