We all need our cute animal fix, especially in times like this. When it is so easy to feel alone, it is a great reminder to see cuteness in the world! Thankfully, penguins are always ready to provide us with the best that the animal kingdom has to offer.

A photographer from Australia captured an incredible picture that we ALL need to see.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-LLuW0q2mH/

We often anthropomorphize the world around us. It is part of what we do as humans! Anthropomorphizing means to place human characteristics on something that isn’t human. Basically, if you ever think that a dog is “talking to you” or place emotions on things like bugs, you have anthropomorphized!

These penguins sure are acting like humans!

Regardless of if these two penguins are actually comforting one another, I sure like to think they are. This little photo is a once in a lifetime shot that is cute just by itself. Even more incredulous, however, is the back story!

This shot was captured with the Melbourne skyline as the backdrop.

The shot has a great backdrop that provides some incredible contrast. More importantly, however, is the story behind the two penguins.

The two Fairy penguins stood on the rock for hours, watching the skyline together.

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A Tobias, the photographer, was taking the shot, he was given some insight into the pair-o-penguins. Turns out, both of these birds are single after losing their partners.

Penguins mate for life.

To add an extra gut punch to this photo, penguins have very interesting mating habits for animals. As a general rule, the flightless birds are completely monogamous and will stay with their mate for the rest of their lives.

The widow and widower understand each others pain.

The sad part is that both of these penguins lost their life-mate rather recently. The darker one on the left had recently lost his mate and the older, white one on the right lost her mate a while ago.

It truly looks like they are just being available for the other.

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There are some things that you have to go through to understand. These penguins probably enjoy hanging out because they know that it is like to lose a friend.

Research continues to show that animals feel grief and pain from death.

The shot illustrates the little things that remind us that we humans are animals too. When we are hurting, a simple hug does more than a thousand explanations.

People around the world have seen the photo from Tobias.

He details the difficulty of getting the shot just right. He said:

I spent 3 full nights with this penguin colony until I was able to get this picture. Between not being able or allowed to use any lights and the tiny penguins continuously moving, rubbing their flippers on each other’s backs and cleaning one another, it was really hard to get a shot but I got lucky during one beautiful moment.

The penguin friendship is a welcome sight.

These penguins are a little ray of sunshine, no matter what you may be going through! Animals always have had a way of speaking to us without words.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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Source: Live Science, Tobias Visuals, Bored Panda