Mark Hudson

The long wing feathers typical of most birds would be too flexible for swimming through water. Instead of having wings like other birds, penguins have tapered, flattened flippers for swimming. Penguins propel themselves through the water by flapping their flippers. Does a penguin have wings? A penguin’s wings are designed perfectly however for gliding through … Read more

Considered marine birds, penguins live up to 80 percent of their lives in the ocean, according to the New England Aquarium. All penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, though it is a common myth that they all live in Antarctica. In fact, penguins can be found on every continent in the Southern Hemisphere. This begs … Read more

Emperor penguins use the two branches of the syrinx to produce two different frequencies at the same time, creating a beating amplitude pattern. Scientists have determined that these patterns carry enough individual information for the penguins to recognize each other. Penguins use body movements to send and receive messages. They tend to communicate through a … Read more

Penguins don’t freeze, but they do get very, very cold . JUVENILE king penguins may huddle together not for warmth, but to get a good night’s sleep. The penguins appear to be able to conserve. Also, how do Penguins stay warm in the Cold? The penguins that live in the warm climate always stay near … Read more

The female and male penguin’s first bond and then mate to lay an egg the size of a softball on the ice in midwinter. The male thrusts the egg up onto his feet, where it is protected and cushioned by the male’s “brood patch,” a warm fold of feathers and his bulging stomach which rests … Read more

Penguins waddle about on ice, but their feet don’t freeze . The cover of the book suggests that this is because of a pair of stripy socks and some snow boots, but the truth is more prosaic. Penguins are able to control the flow of blood to their feet. Those naked bird feet may look … Read more

This animal loves to swim and will plop into the water for exercise. They can often be seen paddling their webbed feet quickly and doing crazy water stunts when playing with other penguins. Penguins also enjoy eating and have a strong appetite. Most can be found munching on squid and krill – their favorite meals. … Read more

But when penguins are afraid or angry, they can put their heads down and run with surprising speed. They can often outrun a penguin scientist who is trying to catch them ! How do penguins run? A penguin’s walk is more like a waddle, but this back-and-forth motion is actually an efficient use of energy … Read more

Penguins are, for the most part, diurnal. However since most penguins live in Antarctica where the day is 6 months long it’s hard to describe them in the usual terms of diurnal/ nocturnal. Emperor penguins, for example are active the whole summer while they stay snuggled together the whole winter. Are penguins nocturnal? No, most … Read more

Penguins stand upright while incubating a single egg on the tops of their feet under a loose fold of abdominal skin. Under this loose fold is a featherless patch of skin called a brood patch, which occurs in all incubating birds. The brood patch contains numerous blood vessels, that, when engorged with blood, transfer body … Read more