Humans weren’t the only ones celebrating St. Paddy’s Day last Sunday. Penguins at the Detroit Zoo got in on the fun as well, only with more Valentine’s vibes.
“Love is king during penguin nesting time,” read the onscreen text for a video posted to the zoo’s 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 mates—Mother Nature’s engagement ring, if you will.
And just like many males of the human species, male penguins work very, very hard to find that perfect stone. After all, these are not only tokens of affection, but the literal building blocks of their nests, since they can withstand the wet, cold climate and protect their soon-to-be families.
Luckily for the penguins at the Detroit Zoo, they had plenty of beautiful options, aka “lucky charms” to choose from. And the zoo explained in the clip, each stone was “lovingly painted with non-toxic paint” by their Tots and Teens program.
Folks who watched the sweet pebble procuring were instantly enamored.
“Oh to be a little penguin picking out a pretty rock for my love,” one viewer wrote.
“Imagine painting a rock and then finding out a penguin uses it as an engagement rock,” wrote another.
Naturally, many were reminded of the 1995 cartoon “The Pebble and the Penguin,” starring Martin Short, Jim Belushi and Tim Curry.
Watch below, and marvel at these little creatures whose love language is obviously gift-giving.
@detroitzoo 🌈 Oh, what luck! 🌈 The penguins were gifted some “lucky charms” to give to their mates during nesting season! 🐧 #detroitzoo #detroit #zoo #penguins #matingseason #luckycharms #paintedpebbles #pretty #cute #michigan ♬ original sound – DetroitZoo