One very lucky penguin seems to have found his perfect catch via a dating website.

Spruce, an endangered Humboldt penguin living at Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park, has managed to find his ‘sole mate’ on dating website Plenty of Fish.

Staff at the park made one-year-old Spruce an online dating profile after fishing for suitable females at other Sea Life centres proved futile, forcing them to cast their net wider.

Animal care manager Kico Iraola said: “We were getting a bit despondent after our neighbouring centres in the UK couldn’t help us – they had the same problem as us – too many boys.

“Then we had an idea – lots of single people find their happy ever afters online via sites like Plenty of Fish, why wouldn’t it work for Spruce? We knew we would be able to cast our net far wider if we could pop his information online and ask people to share it via social media – and it’s worked like a dream.”

After three weeks of tireless campaigning by staff, an aquarium in Blankenberge, Belgium, spotted Spruce’s Plenty of Fish profile and put forward an ideal catch in the form of Preciosa, a female penguin just over a year old.

After detailed planning, Preciosa was transported more than 300 miles in a temperature-controlled van to Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park and introduced to Spruce and her new penguin family.

Staff at the park were flipping with joy at the pairing. Kico said: “On paper, Preciosa was the perfect candidate for a lady friend for Spruce – they are around the same age and aren’t related at all – which is important because there are only so many penguins living in aquariums and we have to be mindful of DNA”

There were fears that, despite pairing them at a young age, Spruce and Preciosa might not have liked each other. Luckily it seems the pair have taken to each other like a duck to water.

Kico said: “We are delighted to report that Spruce and Preciosa’s first meeting went extremely well and they seem to be taking to one another quite nicely – we are really hoping this will be the start of a strong bond, as penguins usually mate for life.”

This means the pair might be able to produce some little chicks when they are older, adding a third generation of penguins to Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park’s Humboldt breeding programme.

Kate Maclean, dating expert at Plenty of Fish, said: “We are so pleased Spruce and his new-found partner are getting on swimmingly already.

Cohabitation is a big step forward in any relationship. Our top tips for the new couple include open communication, and showing each other unwavering love and support. Our congrats to the happy couple.”