Fun Facts about Penguins
The North Pole gets all the attention at this time of year, but there’s a lot going on at the South Pole, too. Down in Antarctica, penguins are bustling through their own chilly holiday activities—mating, nest-building and having babies.
These tuxedoed birds waddle through blizzards like it’s no big deal. Similar to humans, penguin legs have a femur, tibia, fibula and knee, but they’re covered by layers of feathers—giving them their adorable stubby appearance. The waddling, though, is a surprisingly energy-efficient means of locomotion. They use 80% less energy than they would walking the way we do, as the waddling relies on momentum and gravity to propel them rather than their own effort.
Awkward-looking on land, penguins become truly graceful when swimming. Emperor penguins can dive deeper than most human submariners ever will. Some plunge more than 1,800 feet below the surface, holding their breath for over 20 minutes at a time. Down in the cold, dark sea, they flap their wings like underwater rockets, chasing fish and squid with surprising speed. Their bones are slightly solid, not hollow like most birds, which helps them sink with less effort—pretty handy when your dinner hangs out at the ocean floor.
On land, penguins trade acrobatics for teamwork. Many species take turns guarding the nest while their partner heads out to fish, and emperor penguin dads even balance eggs on their feet for months to keep them warm. Imagine standing perfectly still in a blizzard while holding something fragile on your toes—it makes waiting in holiday shopping lines seem downright easy. And when the chicks hatch, the whole colony chips in with their noisy, happy chaos.
And here’s a final fun fact: penguins are fantastic at recycling… pebbles. Some species build nests from carefully chosen stones, and they’ll barter, borrow, or boldly steal the prettiest ones. It’s a whole real-estate market out there, complete with drama and negotiation. So while the North Pole may sparkle with festive lights, the South Pole has its own kind of winter magic—feathery, flippery, and full of personality.