Scientists from the University of Aberdeen, in collaboration with their colleagues from the United States, conducted a study and found out why penguins do not fly. It turned out that evolution deprived them of this method of movement as too energy-consuming. Instead, birds have the ability to dive deeper, spending more time underwater. Sea fish in those days was the most profitable diet for penguins, which led to the fact that the ability to fly was lost in favor of glide under water.

The ancestors of penguins flew during the time they lived on the planet of dinosaurs, however, according to Daniel Ksepka from the Bruce Museum in Connecticut (USA), they lost this ability shortly after the extinction of the largest pangolins (judging by the remains found, about 60 million years ago). In the course of migration to the seas and oceans and due to the need to adapt to new hunting conditions, the wings of penguins have changed, becoming shorter and stiffer, which was necessary in order to row better. The muscles became more developed and an additional layer of feathers appeared on the chest. The birds have also grown in size. As a result, they stopped flying, but became a unique species in the difficult conditions of the new habitat, as they were able to hunt large marine fish.

This is not the first study on the "penguin problem". Previously, zoologists have already tried to understand why these seabirds cannot fly, although they have wings and flight could make their life more comfortable (for example, they could better avoid predators).

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Penguins are flightless birds, but they can take to the air if they need to.

In particular, this technique helps penguins to escape from natural enemies, such as leopard seals or killer whales, and also to get out of deep water onto a rocky coast.

The mechanism that allows penguins to rise into the air has not yet been studied. However, now a group of Irish scientists have found that before making a jump, these birds create a large number of air bubbles in the water with the help of their wings and thus overcome the resistance of the water, receiving jet acceleration.

The scientists made the discovery while watching in slow motion video footage from the BBC's popular children's program Blue Peter, which also explores wildlife.

Neither fly nor crawl

Image caption King penguins can rise almost half a meter above the water

At first glance, it seems impossible for penguins to take to the air above the water. These plump birds are known for their clumsy, waddling gait.

Their bodies are ideally suited for movement in water - the bones of penguins, unlike other birds, are similar to the bones of mammals, and the wings are connected to the body so that they can be worked under water like screws.

However, many members of the penguin family can take to the air.

Due to the shape of the body and the inability to crawl, it is difficult for penguins to get ashore, especially where there are rocks. And sometimes it is not at all possible to rise from the depths of the sea to an ice block.

Therefore, penguins have learned to jump out. First, they rise to the surface, break through the ice edge, break away from the water for a moment, and, shaking themselves, land on their chest - already on land.

Smaller species, such as the Adélie penguin, can soar 2-3 meters into the air, and then land on sharp rocks without a single scratch.

But larger members of the family, such as the largest, royal, penguins, rise above the surface of the water by only 20-45 cm. Although this is enough for them.

air bubbles

Image caption When jumping out of the water, penguins leave behind a trail of bubbles.

Biologists were most worried about one question: why do these birds, jumping out of the water, leave behind a "tail" of air bubbles? No one could understand what these bubbles were and where they come from.

However, five years ago, a group of biologists in Ireland decided to tackle the problem. It was in the city of Cork, where two scientists, Professor Roger Newes of Bangor University and Professor John Davenport of University College Cork, met in a pub on the eve of a scientific symposium and realized that neither of them knew the answer to the question that so preoccupies them. .

The scientists requested footage from the BBC's Blue Peter television program, which recorded the behavior of the penguins. They went through the film frame by frame, analyzing the speed and angle of rise out of the water, thus calculating the biomechanical formula for the movement of the birds.

Several interesting discoveries resulted from this analysis. First, the air bubbles released by the penguins did not come from the lungs. They were formed as a result of the work of the wings.

"We were shocked by this observation," Professor Davenport said.

The researchers also concluded that the air bubbles seem to form a "shirt" around the body of birds when they soar above the surface of the water at a speed of 19 km per hour.

To carry out further research, Irish scientists have joined forces with Professor Paul Larsen from Denmark, a specialist in mathematics and hydrodynamics. The result of their joint efforts was published in May 2011.

Penguins are funny and slightly ridiculous birds. Adults and children are watching with equal interest how the crowd of these "lackeys" rushes to the ocean! And with what incredible grace these creatures move under water, soaring on their small wings! And then a completely fair question arises: “Why doesn’t the penguin fly?” Let's try to shed some light on this problem.

Initially, scientists assumed that they were only because they descended from flightless ancestors. This opinion was facilitated by the fact that the same cormorants fly and swim well, moving on their wings in two environments.

However, this view has now been refuted. The fact is that scientists noticed one small detail, studying the photo of the penguin and his “comrades-in-arms”. It turned out that the aforementioned cormorants can move equally poorly in air and in water. The ability to fly in such "versatile" birds is inferior to that of the usual "lords of the sky", and the ability to swim is even more mediocre and cannot be compared with the artistic ballet in the water of the penguins.

It was here that scientists put forward the theory of evolutionary expediency: why do you need to fly if it will still turn out badly? Asking why the penguin does not fly, the researchers forgot about the real need for flight. After all, most representatives of this species live in very harsh conditions of the Antarctic. To survive in the hardest local winters, they have to store a huge amount of fat. Naturally, from an evolutionary point of view, such an approach to survival is much more justified, since it allows the animal to go without food for a long time on the most difficult and cold winter days.

So, modern researchers have an excellent answer to the question of why the penguin does not fly: this species simply abandoned flight in favor of more pressing needs. As you can see, these birds did not fail, retaining their population and habitat.

However, science has a lot of questions, compared with which a hypothetically flying penguin looks completely unimportant. Most of the inconsistencies are related precisely to the ability to dive: the mechanism that allows large species to dive to impressive depths is still unclear. So, the famous is able to dive half a kilometer deep and stay there for 20 minutes!

The question is not only in the biochemical processes that allow a large and muscular "emperor" to do without air for such a long time, but also in how such a large and largely terrestrial organism can withstand monstrous pressure drops and avoid

The latter is especially relevant. After all, people cannot dive without protective equipment to a depth of 100 meters, and the dive itself, together with the ascent to the surface, must be completed within a short period of time. How does our hero deal with this? Scientists don't know yet... So it's time to stop wondering why the penguin can't fly. It is better to apply your mental faculties to the solution of more pressing and complex problems.

Lovely funny penguins, waddling so amusingly on their short legs, are the real favorites of the kids. In zoos and water parks, babies usually do not leave penguin enclosures.


It's amazing how clumsy on land penguins become agile and swift in the water. Many children are very surprised to learn that penguins are not animals, but. Sometimes it is difficult to answer a child's question why penguins do not fly and how it happened that they chose the harsh icy Antarctic desert for life.

Forsaken the sky

The studies of scientists who have studied in detail the habits, lifestyle and body structure of different types of penguins unequivocally confirm: once their ancestors led a lifestyle inherent in most birds. Even the ancestors of the largest king penguins, whose body weight exceeds 50 kg, and whose height reaches a meter, were able to fly. But if you look at other birds that live in high latitudes and eat fish, it becomes clear why penguins have abandoned the sky.

The fact is that the structure of the body of a flying bird makes spearfishing impossible. Too large wings, equipped with long flight feathers, do not allow to develop high speed in the water. And in general, a lot of energy is spent on flight, which is very difficult to replenish in polar conditions.


Abandoning wings and the sky, penguins have acquired a different habitat - the icy waters of Antarctica, where they have little to no threat from predators or food competitors.

How has the body structure of the penguin changed?

According to the outlines of the body, penguins are much more reminiscent of marine mammals than birds. Their bodies have undergone significant changes in the course of evolution in order to maximally adapt to the harsh conditions of existence among the ice hummocks.

- The penguin's skeleton lost its hollow bones and became heavier. All flying birds have hollow bones inside - nature has provided for this in order to lighten their weight as much as possible. The bones of penguins have lost their cavities and have become similar to the bones of mammals.

The wings of penguins have shrunk in length and lost their feathers. They now resemble fish fins in shape and help penguins move freely and quickly in the water. Flight feathers, which are always present on bird wings, have practically disappeared.

The feathers have turned into some kind of scales. They have become shallow, hardened and have a waterproof waxy coating that prevents cold water from coming into direct contact with the skin.


— A thick layer of fat has appeared under the skin of the penguins. It is necessary to protect muscles and internal organs from the cold and as an energy reserve in case of lack of food. The shape of the body has become streamlined and is great for high-speed swimming under water.

- The paws of penguins are covered with a thick layer of rough skin, allowing them to walk on ice and snow. But their circulatory system is most surprising: the arteries and veins leading to the paws are closely intertwined. The hot arterial blood coming from the heart heats up the cold blood coming back from the paws and cools itself. Therefore, penguins practically do not lose heat while standing on ice or swimming in icy water.

- The structure of the eyes has changed: the cornea has become flatter, which makes it easier to see objects under water. On land, penguins see worse and are short-sighted.

Still, it cannot be said that penguins have completely lost the ability to fly. In moments of danger, they can briefly rise into the air up to two meters in height, making frequent helical flaps of their wings. This helps them escape from predatory mammals, which sometimes hunt them.

What is all this for?

By refusing to fly and choosing to live in the extremely harsh polar regions, penguins may have gained much more than they lost. Yes, they no longer know how to soar in height - but they have learned to swim under water no worse than any fish. They have left a favorable climate - but live in conditions of almost complete absence of competition for food.


They are practically the only owners of ice hummocks and deserted coasts. The population of penguin colonies is regulated not by predators, which are extremely rare in Antarctica, but by the number of schools of fish. They perfectly adapted to life in conditions of low temperatures and poor fauna of the Antarctic expanses.

Penguins seem like an unfortunate joke of evolution, but evolution has no sense of humor - only expediency. Only the narrowness of the human eye makes penguins funny. We will tell you why they refused to fly and are worthy of respect

The penguin is the only bird that can swim but cannot fly. In addition, it is the only bird that walks standing up. Penguins are wingless waterfowl that live in their natural environment only in the lands of the southern hemisphere.

Having jumped out of the water, penguins on their belly drive 1-2 meters across the ice.

Most penguins spend half their lives in the ocean and the other half on land. Basically, most penguin species live in Antarctica and in some of the other coldest areas of the hemisphere.

Some rare species can survive in temperate and even tropical latitudes. In general, penguins are designed to live in the sea. Some species spend as much as 75% of their lives in the water, only getting out to land to lay their eggs and wait for their offspring.


The heavy, hard bones act like a heavy diver's belt in the water, allowing the penguins to stay underwater. Their wings, shaped like flippers, help them "steer" underwater at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. A streamlined body, paddle-like legs, an insulating layer of fat and waterproof feathers all contribute to their efficient and comfortable stay under water. They also have a remarkable ability to dive deep (this will be discussed below). In addition, in order not to lose heat, penguins have hard, very compact feathers (up to 70 cm2) that provide waterproofing.


A streamlined body, paddle-like legs, an insulating layer of fat and waterproof feathers all contribute to their efficient and comfortable stay under water. They also have a remarkable ability to dive deep (this will be discussed below). In addition, in order not to lose heat, penguins have hard, very compact feathers (up to 70 cm2) that provide waterproofing.

Give back the sky

Penguins don't fly, which seems strange to birds, but in reality, not flying is the wisest evolutionary decision.


Having lost the sky, the penguins were able to focus on conquering the Antarctic seas and became ideal underwater hunters. Their main food is fish and marine arthropods, which are fast swimmers and often live at great depths. Hunting takes a lot of energy, and when you try to combine chasing fish and flying, something inevitably suffers. For example, the thick-billed guillemot, which also lives near the Pole (albeit the North, not the South) and feeds on fish, is forced to constantly rise into the air in order to escape from land-based predators.


I would like to sympathize with the hard lot of birds, but sympathy is the last thing they need. Living in unbearable (for other creatures) conditions is an evolutionary trick that allowed penguins to get rid of competitors and get almost an entire continent into “possession”. In order to survive in an extreme environment, penguins have developed a set of mechanisms, thanks to which they have occupied a free ecological niche and feel comfortable in it.


The ancestors of modern penguins were able to take to the skies, and scientists have not yet figured out exactly when the birds abandoned costly flights and switched to diving. Most experts believe that the appearance of a large number of mammals adapted to life in the seas, including cetaceans and pinnipeds, about 50 million years ago, played a decisive role. Competition with these animals could push the penguins to take a radical step.


Additionally, the determination to abandon the sky was supported by the fact that penguins have almost no enemies on the ground from which they need to fly away. Therefore, birds have been perfecting spearfishing skills for generations.

Take on the sea

The characteristic plump, rounded body of penguins, seemingly so unsuitable for a serious hunter, is not an oversight of evolution, but a competitive advantage that makes penguins extremely effective pursuers.


Unlike flying birds, whose bones have become graceful and hollow over millions of years of perfecting flight, penguin bone tissue is dense, and feathers are more like scales. For greater streamlining, feathers are constantly lubricated with special fat, which is synthesized by the coccygeal gland.


The ridiculous gait of penguins is also associated with swimming. The short legs of birds are shifted to the end of the body, as are the fins of cetaceans and fish. Thanks to this arrangement, even small fluctuations in the movable limbs allow penguins to deftly maneuver and evade obstacles. Therefore, the penguin's paws are a steering wheel, and not a means of transportation on land. And on even ice or wet sand, birds prefer to lie on their belly and glide, like on a sleigh, pushing off the surface.


On land, penguins comb and fluff their feathers, filling them with air. In water, where the pressure is higher, air bubbles leave the body, and the bird accelerates further.


Another awkward, at first glance, detail of the penguin appearance is his “tailcoat”, which is clearly visible on the white snow. It's hard to believe, but this coloring is camouflage! Penguin prey and all predators that are dangerous to birds live in the water, so appearance on land is not so important.


But in the sea, penguins are perfectly hidden: from below, against the background of the sky and in bright sunlight, their bright belly is not visible, and when viewed from above, the black back practically merges with the dark water column. In addition, the dark color absorbs the sun's rays better, giving the penguins extra warmth when they are on the beach.


Coloration is extremely important for survival and successful hunting, and this trait is highly selective. If a penguin with a faded brown back is suddenly born in a population, then it has almost no chance of finding a partner for itself: over millions of years of evolution, birds have come to consider such poor creatures terribly unattractive.

Defeat the cold

To survive in Antarctica, where temperatures regularly drop below -60 ° C in winter, penguins have acquired serious "outfit".


Their plumage is impenetrable to the wind, and the feathers themselves are reinforced with additional downy “branches”. In addition, other birds have feathers only in certain areas (although you can’t tell so from the outside), and the penguin is covered with dense “armor” from beak to paws.


The grease from the oil gland, which penguins distribute with their beak throughout the body, protects against water, and thick skin and an insulating layer of fat help to keep warm even in severe frosts, when other animals die from hypothermia and frostbite.


Vessels in penguin paws regulate blood flow so that the temperature of the limbs remains constant and excess heat does not escape through them.

The legs of the penguins standing on the ice have a perfect heat dissipation system. Hot blood, going to the extremities through the arteries, through a dense plexus of vessels gives off its heat to the veins, through which blood enters the heart. Without this mechanism, the heart would simply stop, unable to withstand the influx of icy liquid. At the same time, already chilled blood gets into the paws themselves, so that the penguins do not spend heat on heating the ice.


Birds also use social mechanisms to combat the cold. Penguins huddling in giant flocks are always trampling - it would seem a natural movement in the cold. In fact, penguins are not just marking time, they are constantly moving in a certain direction, and in such a way that sooner or later each bird ends up in the warmest place - the center of the crowd. So far, experts do not know exactly how such movement is controlled.

But why did the penguins, even if they are masters of adaptation, choose such a terrible climate for life? The answer is simple: because they can live there.


The animals that ventured into Antarctica can be counted on the fingers, so penguins are in a unique position - they have few natural enemies and no competitors at all.


This “mountain avoidance” strategy, that is, avoiding direct confrontation and fighting other species, is very successful: the population of the most numerous of the penguins, golden-haired ones, exceeds 18 million individuals.


"Ridiculous" penguins are excellent hunters and wise evolutionary strategists, almost single-handedly hosting the whole continent. Therefore, people who would not have lived in Antarctica for half an hour without clothes and sophisticated equipment should think before laughing at the "clumsy" birds once again.

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