Sydney's gay penguins have raised a healthy baby girl

"We’ve started to see her personality shine in the last few weeks, and can confirm she is every bit the diva - or QWEEN - we would only expect her to be.”

The penguins

Sphen, Magic and baby Sphengic. Source: Sea Life Sydney

It's time for an update from , Sphen and Magic, who have been in the throes of early parenthood over at .

The famous gay penguin couple welcomed their first baby chick, born from a fostered egg, in October of last year.

Three months later, it can now be revealed that the yet-to-be-named chick (who staff are calling 'Sphengic') is a female.

“After months of waiting - and regular questioning from the public - we’re so excited to finally have a confirmation that Baby Sphengic is a little girl!” said Sea Life Sydney Aquarium Penguin Department Supervisor Tish Hannan in a statement.
The chick had not been assigned a gender at birth because penguins’ reproductive organs form internally, meaning the biological sex can only be known following a blood test.

“As penguin parents share equal responsibility of raising young, building and maintaining the nest, gender roles aren’t defined in penguins," Hannan said.

"So whilst Baby Sphengic is a female on paper, that’s where the role ends. She’ll grow up to play both mummy and daddy one day - just like Sphen and Magic."

Hannan said the "fully fledged" chick is now thriving under the care of her two fathers.

"We’ve started to see her personality shine in the last few weeks, and can confirm she is every bit the diva—or QWEEN—we would only expect her to be.”

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2 min read
Published 24 January 2019 10:56am
Updated 24 January 2019 10:59am
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


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