Two weeks after Sydney penguins Sphen and Magic became a viral sensation, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium have announced that the same-sex couple have welcomed their fostered baby chick into the world.
Born on Friday 19th October at 5:45pm weighing just 91 grams, the unnamed chick has also waddled into the history books as the attraction’s first sub-Antarctic penguin chick since the colony first joined the Darling Harbour family in November 2016.
After proving they were absolute naturals when incubating a dummy egg given to them by Sea Life Sydney staff, the couple, collectively known as Sphengic, were fostered a real egg from another couple who laid two during the 2018 breeding season. The fostered egg has now hatched, and the loving foster parents are co-parenting exceptionally well to raise their young.
Trish Hannan, the Penguin Department Supervisor at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium said the newest arrival was already stealing hearts.
“Baby Sphengic has already stolen our hearts! We love watching the proud parents doting and taking turns caring for their baby chick,” Hannan said. “With that said, the first 20 days of a penguin chick’s life are the most vulnerable so it is extra important the chick is very happy, healthy and well fed by his parents.
“We can’t wait for the world to fall in love with Baby Sphengic like they did with our amazing same-sex couple, Sphen and Magic!”
The incubation period for sub-Antarctic Gentoo Penguins lasts approximately 36 days, with the small beak of the tiny Gentoo chick “pipping” out of its egg taking up to three days. The chick will now stay with its dads for the first 5 – 6 weeks of his life where they will feed it up to 10 times a day. Once it is big enough, it will start to lose its baby penguin fluff, start growing its adult feathers and begin its swimming lessons.
The gender of the newest arrival will not be determined until they are a few months old. Until then the baby penguin will go by the portmanteau of it’s parent’s names.
Unlike the King Penguin population who incubate eggs on their feet, once laid, the expectant Gentoo parents keep their eggs warm on pebble nesting rings scattered throughout the Macquarie Island inspired exhibit. Swapping duties daily, while one of the pair is doing their best to incubate the egg, the other is patrolling the perimeters of the nest, warding off any potential pebble thieves or over-inquisitive neighbours.
Sub-Antarctic penguins face a number of threats in the wild, including loss of habitat and breeding nests due to global warming, and plastic pollution consumption which can often be passed on to their young via their unique feeding technique.
The keepers decided to take the additional eggs laid by another couple and pass it on to the same-sex attracted penguins to raise because usually Gentoo penguins will abandon a second chick, focussing on the stronger of two siblings.
Source: Media Release
