East Riding of Yorkshire CouncilPenguins are known for their parenting skills – taking a co-operative approach to raising their young.
But it seems that one elderly Humboldt penguin has had to lay down the law with her toy-boy partner.
Twinnie, who lives at the Sewerby Hall zoo in East Yorkshire, has defied the odds by hatching a chick at the ripe old age of 23.
It is her fourth with Sigsbee, who is about 15, since he arrived in 2021 from Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.
But when she laid her first egg four years ago, Sigsbee shirked his responsibilities as a dad-to-be, as head zookeeper John Pickering explains.
“Sigsbee wasn’t helping her to sit that egg and we were having to feed her on the nest because she couldn’t come out to feed,” he says.
“But since then, she must have had a word with him because he is doing his job properly now.”
East Riding of Yorkshire CouncilThe latest arrival, which is yet to be named, is the smallest in the colony. She hatched in April and mum and dad are doing a wonderful job rearing her by themselves, according to John.
She eventually left the nest in June to explore her surroundings.
“Twinnie is so lovely – she is such a gentle penguin and such a good mum,” John adds.
“We are pleased to say that the chick is doing great and loves swimming with her siblings.”
Humboldt penguins normally have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years in the wild – though they can live into their 30s in captivity – and experts say hatching a chick at 23 is unusual.
Back in 2021, when Sigsbee was struggling to learn his responsibilities, the couple’s first chick, Pickle, was hatched in an incubator.
They managed to rear another, Crackle, two years ago, and a third, Bumble, followed last year.
As for the future – and after Twinnie and Sigsbee teach the latest addition to the family to swim and catch fish – John says he hopes to hear the patter of tiny penguin feet again next year.
He is trying to find out if a hatching a chick aged 24 will be some kind of record.
Andrew Owen is head of birds at Chester Zoo, which is part of an international conservation programme.
“It’s fair to say that 23 is a good age for a penguin in general, let alone in terms of successfully hatching an egg,” he says.
“We had a 21-year-old female successfully hatch this year, but it is unusual.”
Longevity runs in Twinnie’s family. Sewerby Hall was home to her mother, Rosie, one of the oldest known Humboldt penguins.
Rosie, who has lived at the park since 1990, died in 2023 at the age of 32.
And Twinnie still has a long way to go to match what is believed to be the oldest Humboldt. Spneb, from Cornwall, recently celebrated her 37th birthday with a cake made of ice and her favourite fish – sprats.
