Well, in a sense they really do fly, only through the water, not through the air. Penguins have strong wings and strong pectoral muscles to power them. Their bodies are streamlined as if for flight, so they still cut cleanly through the water.
They are flying with their forelimbs (wings). There are birds that do move under the water that don’t use their forelimbs and they paddle. And so that’s not really flying in the sense of forelimb developing lift. In the case of penguins they are absolutely flying only in water and not air.
Also, do penguins fly?
Penguins are flightless . Although they have wings, they don’t use them to get airborne and therefore, they don’t fly in the traditional sense we would usually associate with other birds. Being partially aquatic they spend half their lives in water and the other half on land but never in the air.
Why did Penguins give up flying?
In nature such adaptations happen for good reason, typically related to survival and reproduction. So a convincing case might be made for why penguins would have given up flight while taking to the seas.
How do Penguins move their wings?
When you watch penguins under water you can see the way they move their wings and the forces that are generated by their forelimbs are very similar, if not identical, to the forces of birds that fly in the air. They are flying with their forelimbs ( wings) .
One source stated penguins are birds, so they do have wings. However, the wing structures of penguins are evolved for swimming, rather than flying in the traditional sense. Penguins swim underwater at speeds of up to 15 to 25 miles per hour.
You could be asking “How fast can a penguin fly?”
The answer is that what is maybe more amazing is they can fly up to speeds of 20 miles per hour. When you watch penguins under water you can see the way they move their wings and the forces that are generated by their forelimbs are very similar, if not identical, to the forces of birds that fly in the air.
What are the adaptations of penguins?
Penguins have strong wings and strong pectoral muscles to power them. Their bodies are streamlined as if for flight, so they still cut cleanly through the water. But water is much thicker than air, so their wings are shorter and stiffer than a normal bird’s wings. In fact, penguins are the only birds that are unable to fold their wings.