How do Penguin Flippers Work?

Penguins are one of the birds of the ice-capped regions. They are warm-blooded birds, which require high internal temperatures to keep them active. The body of a penguin is a combination of black and white. The upper part of the body is black while the underside, i.e., the flippers and the abdomen, is white. There are around 17 species of penguin worldwide. Around four species of penguin are threatened of extinction. Penguin is a fine example of an aquatic bird.

Penguin, The Flightless Bird

Penguins belong to a family called 'spheniscidae' and do not fly. These birds mostly breed in the Southern Hemisphere and also in Antarctica. It is believed that the name 'penguin' originated from the Welsh word 'Pen Gwyn', meaning white head. Penguins are hefty birds with a heavy and robust skeletal system. The heavy bone structure hinders the ability to fly.

Penguin Flippers

Like all birds, penguins also have wings. The wings of the penguin are called flippers. The shape of the penguin flippers resembles that of an airplane’s wings. The flippers of a penguin are strong and heavy. They are hard and are covered with tiny feathers that are stiff. The penguin flippers are not waterproof. The flippers help the penguin to swim swiftly.

Penguins Flippers as a Defensive Weapon

The flippers of the penguin are hard and rigid. These are used as weapons to defend themselves from their predators. The penguin flippers are used as a weapon in penguin fights also. The penguins are aggressive birds when they guard their nests. They use their flippers to hit the predator. They hit the predator rapidly with their flippers from both sides to defend themselves. The strikes of the flippers are painful, which causes the predators to move back. Another defensive weapon of the penguins is their bill that is used to bite their enemies.

Other Uses of Penguin Flippers

Penguin flippers are not insulated heavily like the other parts of the body. Therefore on a hot day, the penguins spread their flippers away from their body. The heat flows away from their body, which helps to cool down the body on a hot summer’s day.

Remember that penguins are aquatic birds, hence they spend most of their lives in the water. They come over to the land only for breeding and molting. Penguin flippers or wings are more suitable for swimming than flying. The penguins can swim swiftly at a speed of 8km/hr.

To sum up, penguin flippers are the modified wings that help theses aquatic birds to defend themselves from their enemies. There are times when flippers are flapped to cool the body of a penguin on a summer day. Though they cannot fly, the penguins use the flippers to swim.