Humans werenât the only ones celebrating St. Paddyâs Day last Sunday. Penguins at the Detroit Zoo got in on the fun as well, only with more Valentineâs vibes.
âLove is king during penguin nesting time,â read the onscreen text for a video posted to the zooâs TikTok, as the aquatic love birds scanned through a pile of colorful pebbles, searching for the perfect gift to present their partner. How romantic.
Out in the wild, this adorable courtship ritual is pretty standard, at least for Gentoo penguins. Male gentoos find a polished stone or pebble to offer their potential matesâMother Natureâs engagement ring, if you will.
Luckily for the penguins at the Detroit Zoo, they had plenty of beautiful options, aka âlucky charmsâ to choose from. And the zoo explained in the clip, each stone was âlovingly painted with non-toxic paintâ by their Tots and Teens program.
Folks who watched the sweet pebble procuring were instantly enamored.
âOh to be a little penguin picking out a pretty rock for my love,â one viewer wrote.
âImagine painting a rock and then finding out a penguin uses it as an engagement rock,â wrote another.
Naturally, many were reminded of the 1995 cartoon âThe Pebble and the Penguin,â starring Martin Short, Jim Belushi and Tim Curry.
Watch below, and marvel at these little creatures whose love language is obviously gift-giving.
