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Roy and Silo are Chinstrap Penguins who were a male-male pair in New York City's Central Park Zoo.
Roy and Silo met at the zoo and they began their relationship in 2004. The pair were observed trying to hatch a rock as if it were an egg. They also attempted to steal eggs from other penguin couples. When the zoo staff realized that Roy and Silo were both male, it occurred to them to give them the second egg of a mixed-gender penguin couple, a couple which previously had been unable to successfully hatch two eggs at a time. Roy and Silo hatched and raised the healthy young chick, a female named "Tango" by keepers. Their story is the basis for the children's book, And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole.
When she reached breeding age, Tango paired with another female penguin called Tanuzi. As of 2005, the two had paired for two mating seasons.
In 2005, Roy and Silo separated, after some six years of paired behavior, with Roy remaining single. Silo found another partner, a female called Scrappy. As of 2010, Roy and Silo still interact on exhibit but do not display paired behavior.
See also
- Homosexual behavior in penguins
- List of animals displaying homosexual behavior
- Children's book And Tango Makes Three
References
- Smith, Dinitia (7 February 2004). "Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name". New York Times. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
- ^ Bone, James (27 September 2005). "Gay icon causes a flap by picking up a female". Times Online. Retrieved 31 March 2009.