Well, penguins sometimes do fly - or at least glide. Its called porpoising.

Another possibility is that penguins porpoise to conserve energy. Because penguins have to come to the surface to breathe, they travel close to the surface. But swimming in that boundary layer - defined as 1 to 3 body diameters under the water - creates a lot of drag. Because air is so much less dense than water, gliding through the air from time to time gives the penguins a little break. One more explanation (and the one I favor) has it that porpoising penguins are on the lookout for predators like Orcas and seals. Leaping in and out of the water makes them a tough target. Whatever else it is, leaping out of the water is a social activity, usually I see a whole group of penguins, ten or twenty or more, porpoising in time with each other.
To read more about penguin swimming and diving, check out this kid-friendly website by SeaWorld:
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/penguin/adaptations.htm
And, for anyone who wants more, this paper by Japanese researchers describes tagged Adelie penguins.
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/202/22/3121.pdf


35 comments:
Flying penguins! I noticed the pictures in your slide show but thought I was seeing some sort of whale or dolphin leaping out of the water - will have to go back and look at those pictures more closely.
Porpoising probably serves some useful purpose, but it also looks like a lot of fun.
Louise--Great photos! On my trip to Antarc I only saw Skuas, not at all as nice. Sounds like you are doing well down there.
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