# Do penguins fall over backwards from watching aircraft? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 3, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596 "2000-11-03T20:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/1 "2000-11-03T20:46:38Z")
[Science marches on!!](http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/11/02/penguin.study.reut/index.html) I first heard of this story many, many years ago in the “True Facts” feature in _National Lampoon._ I’m surprised Cecil hasn’t written about it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/2 "2000-11-03T22:16:30Z")
Look, if watching an airplane interferes with breeding habits, I say that’s Darwin at his finest. ---
**Author:** ![Ad\_Noctum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@Ad\_Noctum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ad_Noctum)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/3 "2000-11-03T22:27:10Z")
hahhahahahhaaha, Oh MAN is that funny… they even have a little picture to boot… hahahahhaha ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/4 "2000-11-03T22:28:27Z")
Silly Brits, Snopes has already debunked this one: [http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/penguin.htm](http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/penguin.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/5 "2000-11-04T06:06:57Z")
Yeah, but you’re not calling Opus, or Berkeley Breathed, liars, are you? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sapphire\_Bullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Sapphire\_Bullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapphire_Bullet)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/6 "2000-11-04T06:33:36Z")
[hijack] jab1, were you watching abc’s world news now last night/this morning? I saw this during the business segment with declan curry- he was so funny! [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penguins-fall-over-backwards-from-watching-aircraft/39596/7 "2000-11-04T14:32:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doctor Jackson \* > **[http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/penguin.htm](http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/penguin.htm)** When you made that link, did you notice that it had been updated just the day before? With the news that the British Antarctic Survey was going to study it? The same news I reported in my link? (But I don’t think they are going down there just to confirm or disprove a UL any more than the Apollo astronauts went to the Moon to see if it’s made of cheese. They’re going to see if aircraft are scaring the penguins off their nests and putting their eggs in danger and threatening the species.) But it’s nice to know that the folks at Snopes are keeping on top of things. (No, I didn’t see that ABC story. Sorry I missed it. The story on [CNN.com](http://CNN.com) that I linked was the first I’d heard of it.)