AFP via Yahoo: Researchers find gay penguins in Japanese aquariums
Researchers have found a number of same-sex pairs of penguins at aquariums in Japan, with an imbalance between the numbers of male and female birds suspected to be the cause, a report said. A research group led by Keisuke Ueda, professor of behavioral ecology at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, found about 20 same-sex pairs at 16 major aquariums and zoos, Kyodo news agency said. Penguins in captivity "may be more likely to form same-sex pairs" due to the difficulty of finding partners of the opposite sex because breeding facilities in Japan only have an average of 20 birds, the agency quoted Ueda as saying. It is not known if the frequency of homosexuality is higher than in the wild, where telling the sexes apart is tough, he said. Many of the gay male pairs and two of the female pairs were seen performing mounting behavior, it said. Ueda was not available for comment on the report
Observer: New York flips as penguins come out in Central Park
As gays go, Roy and Silo are not unusual. They cohabit, are affectionate in public and have been inseparable for years. Only their species marks them out. The New York pair are chinstrap penguins. Every day at Manhattan's Central Park Zoo the two males entwine necks, vocalise to each other and have, er, sex. When offered female companionship, they decline...more...
Roy and Silo
