Actor Sam Elliot courts a local penguin
This heartwarming modern day Romeo and Juliet story was caught on camera by an Antarctic research team. As reported by the BBC:
An Antarctic fur seal has been observed trying to have sex with a king penguin. The South African-based scientists who witnessed the incident say it is the most unusual case of mammal mating behaviour yet known. Why the seal attempted to have sex with the penguin is unclear. But the scientists who photographed the event speculate that it was the behaviour of a frustrated, sexually inexperienced young male seal.
In case you’re wondering, YES, it was caught on tape. It has not surfaced on youtube, however, probably due in part to their ten minute time limit on videos (the mating attempt went on for forty five minutes! Eat your heart out Sting!)
The best part of the story?
De Bruyn and a colleague were on Trypot beach at Marion Island to study elephant seals when they noticed a young, adult male Antarctic fur seal, in good condition, attempting to copulate with an adult king penguin of unknown sex.
Talk about adding insult to injury! I can just imagine the embarassed and disheveled penguin returning home that evening, flicking on the tube and hearing that and griping “For crying out loud! Is it that hard to tell!?!” as his phone starts ringing from all his buddies who just heard his gender be pronounced unidentifiable on the BBC.
Thanks for the tip John!
11 responses so far ↓
1 RemmieBarrow on May 2, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Can the penguin sue the seal for sexual harrassment?
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2 Onil on May 2, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Time to start handing out rape whistles to the penguins.
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3 ShutterBun on May 2, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Not since the Wilford Brimley / Burgess Merideth scandal!
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4 Su Fabie on May 2, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Wow, that seal looks like he’s really going to town on that penguin.
Imagine that inevitable walk (waddle?) of shame the morning after.
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5 MikeP on May 3, 2008 at 5:20 am
You just know that the next day the seal bragged about it to all of his friends: “Hey dudes, guess who got laid last night?” They all high-five each other, then somebody asks who the lucky lady is…
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6 Brooke on May 3, 2008 at 8:46 am
I’m very glad no one attempted to describe their first inexperienced attempt… Thanks all for your discression!
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Reply from wakachiwaka on May 3, 2008:
Well, the first time I laid a penguin of indeterminate gender, it went really really well.
7 Elizabeth Young on May 3, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The only disturbing part of this photo is the question of where the penguin’s head is and, if it has been shoved inside the earth during a potentially rigorous bout of mixed species sex, how will that feel in the morning.
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8 Joshdg on May 4, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Why were De Bruyn and a colleague on TRY POT beach, anyway? My guess is this is some kind of hippie commune.
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9 MikeP on May 4, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Anyone else reminded of the old “Looks like you’ve blown a seal” joke?
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10 Phil on May 5, 2008 at 1:09 am
The seal looks like it’s not really into it, like for some reason it’s dignity is being taken. Could the penguin have paid the seal? Like, with fish or something?
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