The penguins huddle for warmth. Penguin huddles can grow to encompass hundreds of penguins, all standing close together in their black and white uniforms. Huddles are a primary strategy to protect themselves from the chilly winds and the sub-zero temperatures of Antarctica.
How many penguins huddle together?
Eight to ten penguins are involved in a huddle per square feet. Scientists believe that as the temperature gets cold, these birds gather around for a huddle. These huddles don’t last long. But if the weather conditions are severe or drastic winds kick in, they tend to huddle in big groups.
Here is what our research found. with the penguins all standing next to each other the heat loss effect again will be minimized by the insulation due to the penguins standing next to each other.
Why do Penguins huddle together to keep warm?
Penguins huddle together to keep warm as a way to shield their bodies from the full force of the cold weather experienced in Antarctica. While huddled, penguins exchange positions so that every colony member takes a turn at forming the outer perimeter, where exposure to the cold is greatest.
Emperor penguins live in the coldest of cold climates on planet Earth, enduring wind chills that reach -60° Celsius (-76° Fahrenheit). Their black feathers can help them absorb the sun’s heat and the blubber in their bodies helps insulate them, but there’s nothing that replaces a good penguin huddle.
The center of a penguin huddle, a form of social thermoregulation, can reach temperatures of up to 37° Celsius (98.6° Fahrenheit). It’s so warm that the center penguins keep moving through the huddle so that they don’t overheat, while penguins on the outside move inward to get warm.
How do penguins protect themselves from the Cold?
By huddling tightly together, colonies of penguins can form a protective barrier whose only weakness is at the perimeter, where the cold has the greatest effect. There are 17 species of penguins, but only four breed on Antarctica.
So, how do Penguins stay warm in Antarctica?
Emperor penguins are able to stay warm in Antarctica’s cold by huddle. Researchers now model the inner workings of the huddle by looking through fluid dynamics.