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Asked by to Thon, Catherine, James, Natalie, Shaylon on 24 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
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Shaylon Stolk answered on 24 Jun 2014:
Actually, when penguins throw themselves into the water, they’re not abusing themselves– that’s just natural behaviour for them. Penguin’s bodies are shaped so that hitting the water at high speed doesn’t hurt them at all. However, it does help them go much faster, like a human getting a running start on their jump.
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James Bell answered on 24 Jun 2014:
Penguins have adapted to have a really streamlined shape and so when they hit the water, they slip into it more than slam into it. Imagine you are at the pool and think of the difference you feel when you dive in compared to doing a bellyflop. Anyone can tell you that a dive hurts a lot less and that’s because you displace the water more gradually than if your whole body hits it at once.
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Natalie Pilakouta answered on 24 Jun 2014:
Yeap exactly! I just wanted to share this cool video that shows emperor penguins going into the water, swimming underwater, and jumping out of the water! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9mbCNs47FI
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Anthony Caravaggi answered on 24 Jun 2014:
Here’s a video of penguins entering and leaving the water (Edit – Natalie and I seem to have shared the same video. Good taste and all that 🙂 ):
As you can see, they are streamlined, almost bullet-shaped, which allows them to pass through the water with great speed. Because of their shape and the way they enter the water, they don’t do so with a slap or a big splash, but with a graceful ripple.
As to why they enter the water in such a way. Well, sometimes the ice or rock is above the water, forcing the penguins to jump in. Sometimes there are predators around, and by going fast, the penguins stand a better chance of avoiding them. There are lots of reasons, really.
Comments
jodiekerr2000 commented on :
they dive in the water really hard so they can get deep in water so they can catch the fish.