Penguin ‘scandal’ explodes on internet; netizens react

Penguins are probably the last creatures on earth that most people would imagine fighting, let alone cheating on one’s mate. A recently uploaded footage shows the darker side of penguin society. A fair word of warning to the fainthearted: the video involves some penguin blood being shed.

The footage was initially posted on NatGeo Wild’s webpage and then on the National Geographic Channel’s Twitter account. It shows a male penguin fighting a rival for his mate during mating season, with the fight producing bloody fins and feathers.

National Geographic reports that on average, 72 percent of penguins return to mate with the same penguin the following year. This is more due to “nest site fidelity” rather than emotional attachment. However, sometimes things don’t go according to plan and either of the couple could end up finding out that his/her “preferred” nesting site has been taken over by another bird, which is already getting cozy with the former’s supposed mate.

As is with internet culture, netizens posted various reactions to the video—some in jest, some in horror and some in ridicule of the narrator whom they thought made the entire footage sound too much like a reality TV show.  Alfred Bayle

Below are some of the tweeted reactions from netizens: