An elderly woman cried tears of joy when her daughter fulfilled her lifelong dream of petting a penguin for Christmas.

Christine Cross' lifelong dream was to see a penguin up close and she couldn't hold back tears when her daughter Lindsay Cross made her dream come true.

A video shows Christine, 76, overcome with emotion after touching the bird at SeaWorld in San Diego, California, USA.

Lindsay, 45, a database manager from San Juan Capistrano, California, said: "When she got back I lost count of how many times she said thank you."

"When I actually told her about the present she didn't say any words. It was more like an excited noise."

Christine, a retired special needs teacher, has always loved penguins and feels very connected to them.

Lindsay said: "She associated herself with them because they're clumsy on land but graceful in the water."

"My mum was the same. She's an absolute clutz but as soon as she gets in the water she's so graceful."

Christine also collects anything penguin-themed and has sponsored the animals in zoos for years.

Lindsay said: "She's a big fan. She used to sponsor them at zoos and she's been collecting penguins her whole life."

"She has stuffies, figurines, pencils, clothes with penguins on them, paintings, Christmas decorations, anything."

The video was filmed on December 6.