He was one paternal penguin.
Mr. Greedy, a prolific penguin dad at the Maryland Zoo, has died at 33, leaving behind a longtime partner and 230 descendants.
The African penguin, who helped keep his endangered species alive, moved to the Baltimore zoo’s Penguin Coast in 1992 and matched with his mate, known as Mrs. Greedy, after two years there, The Baltimore Banner reported.
Mr. Greedy, who was the oldest penguin at the zoo and far outlived his species’ typical life expectancy of 18 years, was part of a program called Species Survival Plan to keep his species of African penguin from going extinct.
Based on genetics, he was matched with Mrs. Greedy, but the pair, who acted like an old married couple, was only supposed to be together for a few years.
However, because they were “genetically valuable” and birthed multiple “clutches of offspring,” they were kept together, Maryland Zoo’s bird curator, Jen Kottyan, told the outlet.
Mr. Greedy was very protective of Mrs. Greedy and his offspring, who were always fed and tended to, Kottyan continued.
The late penguin, who was euthanized on Aug. 27 due to age-related declining health, was “incredibly important to the continued existence of African penguins throughout the world,” Kottyan added.
The Maryland Zoo’s Penguin Coast, where Mr. Greedy lived for over three decades, houses the second largest colony of African Penguins in the world, and the largest in North America.
