A normal one. It's hard to tell. Some of the birds are exhibitionists and have sex right out in front of everybody else. Most of them will do it in their burrows. The only reason why we've known about [Wendell and Cass] is because on two occasions we've seen them copulating out on exhibit.[By this, Mitchell means that the penguins have sex outside of their burrows, for all penguins and people to see.]

What would make penguins do it on exhibit? Do they all have varying sex lives?

I don't know. Now's the time, you know that biological clock. Usually when the female is in her breeding period, she stays in her nest. Theoretically they're copulating a lot to increase the chances that they'll fertilize an egg. So there will be a 10- to 12-day period where the pair will stay in the nest and never come out.

Some of them have sex a lot. Burt and Moni have sex all the time. They have no problem copulating on exhibit. Others may not have sex practically at all. They could copulate all year round and some do, but their breeding season is November to March, so that would be the time when they would have the most sex.

Does that differ for Wendell and Cass since they're not trying to reproduce?

I can't remember what time of year it was when we saw them out on exhibit. It probably was either fall or spring because it was warm.

Have they expressed any longings to have young? Maybe they want to adopt?

Well, I think that if they did, they would have broken up. One reason why pairs do break up is because they aren't reproducing. Obviously, all animals need to reproduce. But [Wendell and Cass] don't seem to mind that they're not reproducing, so they don't need to break up, I guess.

Are there any babies in the exhibit? How do the adults treat them?

Not right now. After 100 days, a baby is just another bird to them. They're not treated very well by the adults because they look different -- the babies are all black for a while. Penguins pick on the birds that don't look like them. Like the ones that are molting.

[Another strange-looking penguin with a sort of ratty coat waddles out.]

Oh, naked boy.

What's his deal?

He has a molting problem. They molt their feathers once a year; they drop their feathers and grow new ones. Most of these birds are quite old, they're well into their 20s, and in the wild they live for 16 or 18 years. They can live up to 35 years in zoos and aquariums. Since they live longer here than in their wildlife span, things can happen. One of those things could be that their hormones get all wacky, just like ours do.

Right, like menopause or something.

He looks terrible. I feel so bad for him.

Might they start shacking up with penguins of the same sex when they're going through these hormonal changes?

There's so many reasons why they might. Wendell and Cass, though, got together when they were 3 or 4.

So, are same-sex relationships very rare, generally, among penguins?

I don't know penguin statistics, but it's not rare in the wild animal kingdom. There are a lot of same-sex relationships in the wild.

Are Wendell and Cass more monogamous than the rest of the penguins?

They're very in touch with each other. But there are a few couples that are sort of like that -- some are very dedicated. They seem to be one of the more dedicated couples. They're more aware of where the other is in the exhibit, they talk to each other a lot, probably a lot more than some of the other couples do.

They're just one of the best couples on the exhibit. Just a really nice couple.

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