Penguins Sing at Sydney Aquarium to Mourn Death of Colony Member Sphen, Same-Sex Partner of Magic

Penguin couple Sphen and Magic became foster parents to a baby chick born on Oct. 19, 2018. SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium witnessed a beautiful expression of emotion as Magic and the other gentoo penguins in his colony sang, mourning the loss of his partner Sphen. Their same-sex love story, during which they shared the duties of raising their adopted young, made the couple famous around the world.

Sphen, who was almost 12, was thought to have died of natural causes, the aquarium said on Thursday, as The Guardian reported.

Renee Howell, the aquarium’s penguin keeper, watched the blossoming of Sphen and Magic’s love story, saying they had an “immeasurable” impact on the world as a symbol of equality.

“It’s one in a million,” Howell said. “You never really will get to see this again.”

The couple’s courtship began with the collecting and presenting of pebbles, as gentoos do when wooing each other.

“You see [penguins] searching along the beach, along the ice, looking for those perfect pebbles to give to their partners,” Howell explained. “They will use those pebbles to build their nest and that is where they will lay the eggs.”

Sphen and Magic became known worldwide in 2018. During their relationship, they adopted and reared two chicks, Sphengic (Lara), born in 2018, and Clancy two years later.

According to Howell, same-sex partnerships among penguins are believed to be somewhat common. As with penguin couples of the opposite sex, Sphen and Magic shared parenting responsibilities, taking turns on the nest, searching for food and caring for their eggs.

“They definitely divvied up the roles really quite evenly between the two,” Howell said.

When a penguin dies in the wild, their partner will usually search for them.

To let Magic know what had happened to Sphen, keepers took him to see his partner’s body. When Magic saw Sphen, he immediately started to sing, joined shortly after by the rest of the 45-penguin colony, reported Reuters.

“It was a very beautiful moment, the air was just filled with their singing,” Howell said, as The Guardian reported. “It showed the impact [Sphen] had on his partner and that [Magic] actually recognised that his partner was there. Soon after, he became quite protective of his partner.”

Howell said the aquarium’s staff had never witnessed anything like it.

“But in that moment for us, it was a beautiful send-off,” Howell said.

Magic is starting his first breeding season alone, but, in a promising sign, has been collecting pebbles for a new nest.

“The loss of Sphen is heartbreaking to the penguin colony, the team and everyone who has been inspired or positively impacted by Sphen and Magic’s story,” said Richard Dilly, Sea Life’s general manager, in a news release, as reported by The Washington Post.

Howell said the same-sex couple’s huge impact was comforting to the aquarium’s team of caregivers, who have strong bonds with the penguins, The Guardian reported.

“To us, they weren’t just penguins. They all have their individual quirks and personalities, so it is definitely sad losing one of those members,” Howell said. “They inspired so many people across the entire world and to us, that is incredibly special and we’ll hold that with us forever.”

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