Surprise with gay couple penguins ... incubating

One pair of penguins was so eager to have children that they stole an egg from another pair of penguins.

Earlier, two male black-footed penguins (Spheniscus demersus, also known as African penguins ) at the zoo DierenPark Amersfoort in the Netherlands were recently found hatching a purebred egg. Their nest with the stolen egg is near a nest belonging to another pair of male and female penguins, zoo representatives said in a statement.

The breeding season has begun for the zoo's penguin community and the males may have stolen eggs from their neighbors while not paying attention.

Some eggs in the zoo's penguin camp have hatched, and animal caregivers are closely watching the male couple taking turns to warm their eggs, DutchNews reported. But it's possible the couple's dream of being a parent can soon be broken, because stolen eggs may not be fertilized, according to DutchNews.

The penguin's egg snatch has entered the hearts of other same-sex penguin couples around the world. Roy and Silo, male chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) living at Central Park Zoo in New York City, have been a gay couple for six years. Skip and Ping, the male penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) at Zoo Berlin; and Sphen and Magic, the little male penguin (Pygoscelis papua), find love in the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in Australia.

All three gay couples nourish eggs; Silo and Roy hatched their eggs in 2004, while Sphen and Magic's eggs - "Baby Sphengic" - hatched on October 19, 2018, the aquarium announced on Twitter. But poor Skip and Ping still have no children: Despite their care, the unfertilized egg exploded on September 2, German news site The Local reported.

Penguins are not the only birds that form a gay relationship. More than 130 species of birds known for this homosexual behavior can include complex forms of flirting and even nesting together for years.

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