# penguins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444 "2003-06-26T03:35:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DuhCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@DuhCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DuhCow)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/1 "2003-06-26T03:35:29Z")
why can’t penguins fly? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/2 "2003-06-26T03:38:44Z")
Oh I’d say about 3 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/3 "2003-06-26T03:43:30Z")
Penguins evolved not to fly in order to occupy a niche other birds did not. Evolutionary pressure selected for penguins that were excellent at swimming and catching fish, and since land predators aren’t common in the types of environments they occupy there was no need for flight as an escape mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/4 "2003-06-26T03:49:59Z")
[Who says they can’t](http://octopus.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/penguin.html)? > [@](#): > > Their wings, shaped like flippers, help them “fly” underwater at speeds up to 15 mph. Also see [here](http://www.graniteisland.com.au/summary.htm): > [@](#): > > Penguins literally fly underwater, using the same motion as a conventional flight bird. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/5 "2003-06-26T03:51:08Z")
Some people say the way they swim is like flying underwater. Having seen penguins swimming up close, I’d have to agree. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/6 "2003-06-26T03:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > _Orig. by Q.E.D._ > …since land predators aren’t common in the types of environments they occupy there was no need for flight as an escape mechanism. I agree with **Darwin’s Finch** – penguins do, indeed, “fly” underwater, and do so to escape from predators. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/7 "2003-06-26T04:03:20Z")
Semantics. I call that swimming. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/8 "2003-06-26T04:16:18Z")
It’s not entirely semantics. As mentioned in the second link, the limb motion is the same as for standard flight (which is different from, say, whale-flipper motions). The only difference is the medium they are flying through. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/9 "2003-06-26T04:37:45Z")
Penguin wings can’t generate enough lift to overcome the earth’s gravity. I suppose that if we ever get around to providing Mars, or better, Ceres, with a thick atmosphere, flying flocks of penguin could become a common sight. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/10 "2003-06-26T05:00:59Z")
If anyone’s interested, here are some movies of [the Adelie Penguin in “flight”](http://www.bionik.tu-berlin.de/intseit2/xs2pinfi.html). ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/11 "2003-06-26T05:02:33Z")
The fact that all of their feathers are short and hairlike is a big factor since the big long feathers are what give bird wings enough surface area for flight. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/12 "2003-06-27T06:34:33Z")
Let me wind up my catapult, I’ll show you a flying penguin! ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/13 "2003-06-27T17:47:37Z")
**Squink** ’s idea is so appealing, any mechanically minded biologist out there want to hazard a guess as to wether Penguins could fly on a low gravity planet? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/14 "2003-06-27T18:13:30Z")
IIRC, most (7 out of 22 species) of penguins live in warm temperate climates. It is fair to say most penguins hate the cold weather. Anyone ever been to South Africa? They’re all over the place. And it’s certainly not cold there. African Black Footed Penguins I believe their called…just some useless trivia. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penguins/184444/15 "2003-06-27T18:31:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Semantics. I call that swimming. \*\* Do you see a merely semantic difference between dirigibles and airplanes?