Penguins, the way they waddle around and protect their eggs, are often thought of as cute, cuddly and romantic. But those who observe them for extended periods know they have a dark side. Two aquariums in Japan, Kyoto Aquarium and Sumida Aquarium, have been keeping obsessive tabs on their penguins, maintaining an updating annual flowcharts that visualizes all their penguin drama. They recently dropped their 2026 versions, and this year there are English versions!
Penguins are highly social species. They like being with others and, like humans, this can often lead to polyamorous and sometimes scandalous situations. Penguin drama can include serious crushes and heartbreaks but also adultery and egg-stealing. Penguins may even develop crushes on their caretakers. And these Japanese aquariums have it all charted in a flowchart that can be studied for hours.
The aquariums keep high-resolution versions of each. Here are the English version links for the Kyoto Aquarium and the one for Tokyo’s Sumida Aquarium, which has just been updated for 2026.
According to the aquarium’s caretakers, the penguin’s romantic escapades are fairly easy to observe. For example, wing-flapping is a sign of affection and couples can be seen grooming each other. Penguins who are getting over a break-up will often refuse to eat.
Someone needs to give these penguins their own reality TV show!
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