Mr. Greedy — an African penguin at the Maryland Zoo — has died at 33 … after fathering more than 200 descendants during his lifetime.
The busy penguin passed away in late August … when zoo officials made the difficult decision to put him down for age-related health reasons, the Maryland Zoo bird curator Jen Kottyan told the Baltimore Banner.
Mr. Greedy was moved to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in 1992 and matched with his mate — affectionately called Mrs. Greedy — after about two years there, according to the Banner.
While they two were only supposed to be matched for a couple years, they proved “genetically vaulable,” Kottyan says and birthed many generations of offspring … so, the zoo kept them together. He had approximately 230 descendants
According to Kottyan, Mr. Greedy — who outlived his life expectancy of 18 years by a huge margin — helped keep the African penguin population afloat, contributing to continued survival all over the world. .
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore’s Penguin Coast — Greedy’s home for more than 30 years — has the second largest colony of African penguins in the world … and, Mr. G’s the bird to thank for that.
Mr. Greedy was 33.
