May 14, 2021

Andrew Campbell 

Sea Life London Aquarium usually hosts one million visitors each year. Sea Life General Manager Catherine Pritchard told the press that Gentoo penguins are among one of Sea Life's most adorable creatures. In particular, visitors will monitor 2 female same-sex penguin couples undergoing their nesting rituals, and they are often found to bow to each other.

It is not an unusual practice for zoos and aquariums around the world to breed same-sex penguin partnerships, including Indianapolis Zoo, the Central Park Zoo in New York, and Sydney Aquarium Sea Life. The interesting rituals sometimes involve one penguin presenting another with a pebble, which is later used to construct a nest for eggs to be tended by the couple. Experts also noted same-sex penguin couples would foster eggs given from male-female couples’ abandon.

London Aquarium is scheduled to reopen on May 17 in line with the latest British government's guidance. Among all the notable exhibits, visitors will watch 2 all-female penguin couples, Marmalade and Chickpea, and Marama and Rocky, at the London Aquarium situated near the South Bank of the River Thames in central London.

Photo:webshot.