Penguins Fly Underwater, Penguins Parade at Zoo

Dense Bones Assist Diving and Porpoising Allows Fast Surface Travel

Oct 7, 2008 John Blatchford

Penguins are well adapted to their life at sea.

Penguins can fly underwater, porpoise at the surface, and walk upright on land. Edinburgh Zoo’s penguins are famous, and one has even received a knighthood.

Penguins Fly Underwater

Most birds use their wings to create lift and propel themselves forward through the air – penguins use their wings to pull themselves down into the water and move forwards. Most birds can only generate a forward thrust on the downbeat, but penguins use both the up and the down strokes to push themselves forward.

Watch a video of penguins flying underwater.

Penguins can Travel Fast at the Surface of the Sea

Penguins ‘fly’ down to catch fish, but when they want to travel horizontally they keep near the surface and ‘porpoise’. They swim fast just below the surface and then leap out of the water, breathe, and then fall back in again. This allows them to surface without loosing forward momentum, and the time spent in the air lets them travel part of the time through a medium that exerts much less drag than water.

Penguins have Heavy Bones and Dense Feathers

In order to fly through the air efficiently most birds have hollow wing bones. Penguins, on the other hand, have solid wing bones – this makes them heavier and allows them to dive better. Since many species live in exceedingly cold water penguins have a very dense covering of feathers (about one hundred per square inch) – this helps to keep them warm underwater.

Penguin Parade at Edinburgh Zoo

In 1950 there was a slight mishap at Edinburgh Zoo, and someone left the gate to the penguin enclosure open. Some of the penguins came out and started to walk about around the zoo. The penguins seemed to enjoy this little trip, and since the public were not molested and seemed to find the whole episode interesting, the practice of opening the gate every afternoon has become something of a tradition at the zoo. Those penguins who fancy a stroll simply gather by the gate and come out to walk a hundred yards or so around a small green. People gather to watch this spectacle, and the penguins are kept safe by keepers who walk slowly at each end of the procession. (Read the blog about Edinburgh Zoo, which includes a link to a YouTube video of the parade)

A Penguin with a Knighthood

A King Penguin, called Nils Olaf, was knighted this year (15 August 2008). Since 1972 a King Penguin has been associated with the Norwegian Royal Guard, rising through the ranks to eventually become the honorary ‘Colonel-in Chief’. When the Norwegians come to Edinburgh each year for the tattoo they visit him at the zoo – to be inspected by him. This year he was given a knighthood – so he is now ‘Sir Nils’!

The copyright of the article Penguins Fly Underwater, Penguins Parade at Zoo in Marine Biology & Oceanography is owned by John Blatchford. Permission to republish Penguins Fly Underwater, Penguins Parade at Zoo in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Penguin Underwater

Penguin Parade

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