Moving and Eating
Penguins are said to move in files, like soldiers. They cannot walk well, so they toboggan on their stomachs. They use their wings to propel and steer. They can travel like this, reaching fast speeds. Antarctic penguins in midwinter will cross 50 miles of ice at speeds as high as a half a mile an hour.
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| A penguin tobogganing across small snow dunes. NOAA photo |
Being in the water is a big part of a penguin's life. They spend seventy-five percent of their lives in water. Their thick feather coats are smooth and make them impenetrable to water. Penguins use their wings as swimmers use their arms to do a crawl stroke. Their broad feet help them steer. They can swim at speeds of twenty-five miles per hour. When they want to get out they leap out of the water. When they leap, they can get up to six feet in the air. I wonder why penguins are birds, but are such good swimmers?
In the water penguins also find food. They eat krill, shrimp and fish. To find this food penguins have to eat pebbles or stones, reducing their buoyancy so they can dive deep. Emperor penguins have been known to dive as deep as 500 feet under water.
There are four species of these type of penguins.
What are temperate penguins?
