Couple hatched their first chick at Sydney's Sea Life Aquarium in 2018

A pair of same-sex penguins, Sphen and Magic, have decided to become parents again, by fostering another egg.

The couple successfully hatched their first chick at Sydney's Sea Life Aquarium in October 2018, and have been great parents to Spengic since.

When another couple in the zoo were recently spotted struggling to incubate two eggs at once by the keepers the decision was made to transfer one of the eggs to the doting foster parents.

Patiently waiting 68 days for Spengic to hatch into the world, supervisors at the Aquarium have full confidence the pair will try their best to safely hatch the second chick.

Sphen and Magic, with the new egg. The couple successfully hatched their first chick at Sydney's Sea Life Aquarium in October 2018, and have been great parents to Spengic since.

Penguin supervisor Tish Hannan told Metro the couple 'have the neatest and largest nest in the colony.'

Adding: 'When we noticed that another couple were struggling to incubate two eggs at the same time, we made the decision to foster the second egg to the power couple of the colony.’

Sphen and Magic's relationship caught the eye of their handlers after they became inseparable and were constantly swimming or waddling along together.

The couple became internet famous after featuring on the Netflix show Atypical.

They took it in turns to incubate baby Sphengic and seem to be doing the same for the new egg.

Baby Sphengic Born on Friday 19th October 2018 at 5:45pm weighing just 91 grams

Keepers have not yet been able to confirm whether the egg is fertile, so it is unknown whether it will hatch in the next few weeks

Keepers have not yet been able to confirm whether the egg is fertile, so it is unknown whether it will hatch in the next few weeks.

Ms Hannan added: ‘Baby Sphengic… had an excellent start to life under their care and while she’s still a bundle of energy and very loud, she’s matured nicely but still quite unsure as to what all the adults are doing this breeding season.'

Same-sex penguin couples have previously been known to rear younglings at zoos including in Berlin and New York.

They took it in turns to incubate baby Sphengic and seem to be doing the same for the new egg

Eight of the 14 residents of the Dingle, Republic of Ireland, Oceanworld Aquarium's penguin enclosure have a gay or lesbian partner.

In a bizarre coincidence, keepers at the County Kerry aquarium say the number of same-sex couples has rocketed since Ireland legalised gay marriage in 2015.

Pairs of female penguins have even been known to raise a chick together after producing one with a temporary male partner, the Irish Mirror reported.

The same-sex couple, collectively known as Sphengic, had an instant connection as they developed a strong bond just before breeding season

Sphen is seen 'proposing' to Magic with a stone, the love language of penguins

Manager Louise Overy told the newspaper: 'We have two homosexual pairs and two lesbian ones.

'You cannot tell a male penguin from a female by their sexual organs so the only way we know is when we see them mating and not producing chicks.'

The four gay couples now at the aquarium mark an increase from just one - called Penelope and Misty - five years ago, she said.

The prospective partners will 'woo each other' with stones which are used to construct a nest, she added.

Unlike many mammal species, male and female penguins take on the same parenting roles, and share parental duties 50-50.

In September penguins at ZSL London Zoo were photographed with an LGBTQ+ Pride banner to celebrate the annual parade. The enclosure - which recreates a South American beach landscape - is home to several same-sex couples, including Humboldt penguins Ronnie and Reggie