Gay penguins steal lesbian couple’s egg and try to hatch it

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A gay penguin couple, from a captivity in the Netherlands, decided to steal an egg from a straight couple and placed it in a nest that belonged to two female penguins, where they had another egg. The two males are taking turns to hatch the abducted eggs. The information came from penguin keeper Marc Belt in an interview with RTV (via UOL).

Homosexuality in the species is common, just as penguin couples are monogamous and stay together “for life”. However, stealing others’ eggs is a relatively rare fact, despite the fact that now and then it has been documented.

Unfortunately for the penguin couple, it will be impossible for babies to hatch, as the egg has not developed and, consequently, will not produce a baby. Females should build a new nest soon, as penguins ovulate twice a year.

Caretakers at the park also say that the male couple is the dominant pair, among the eight living on the grounds. “Each couple here has their own shelter, but this couple has two”, said keeper Sander Drost.

In August, a pair of female penguins “adopted” chicks with human help in a captivity located in Valencia, Spain. In this case, the caregivers replaced one of the eggs in the female’s nest with a fertilized one, and in this case, it worked.

Homosexuality in the animal kingdom is relatively common and seen in virtually all species. Research by Bruce Bagemihl in 1999 documented homosexual behavior in about 1,500 species, from mammals to intestinal worms.

Bonobos, considered our “closest relatives”, are extremely sexually active and both males and females exhibit behaviors that we humans regard as bisexual. The most accepted theory is that sex between animals does not only have a reproductive function, but also to consolidate social relations and, in the case of bonobos, sexual relations bring them closer to the dominant members of the group and will gain more status.

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