Gay penguin dies in Australia - leaving behind his beloved partner

Sydney gentoo penguin Sphen, whose same-sex coupling with partner Magic saw them adopted as icons by the gay equality movement, has died.

The couple shot to fame in 2018 when news of their same-sex male relationship in a Sydney aquarium made global headlines.

The duo recently celebrated six years together and successfully adopted and raised two chicks: Sphengic (Lara) in 2018 and Clancy in 2020.

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium said in a statement on Thursday that their coupling had been inspiring for human same-sex couples.

Their love story inspired a Mardi Gras float, was included in the NSW education syllabus and even featured in the Netflix series Atypical. 

Countless books speak of their love story, even documentaries on same-sex animal couples have featured Sphen and Magic, the aquarium said.

'The loss of Sphen is heartbreaking to the penguin colony, the team and everyone who has been inspired or positively impacted by Sphen and Magic's story,' aquarium general manager Richard Dilly said on Thursday.

'We want to take this opportunity to reflect and celebrate Sphen's life, remembering what an icon he was, the unique bond he shared with Magic and the positive impact he made in the world.' 

Sydney gentoo penguin Sphen (left) has died aged 11, leaving his partner Magic

Sphen appears to have died of natural causes in August as he approached his 12th birthday.

His younger partner, aged eight, was taken to his side to help process the loss and understand his partner wouldn't return. 

'He immediately started singing, which was beautifully reciprocated by the colony,' the aquarium said.

Aquarium staff said their focus was the welfare of Magic, who faces a first breeding season without his partner.

While there are rare incidences of same-sex coupling across the animal kingdom, it is relatively more common in penguins.

Biologists attribute this usually to a shortage of females in a population, and while there is bonding between the pairs, the relationships are not 'gay' in a mating sense.