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Adelie penguins swimming in open water.

Adelie penguins swimming in open water.
Adelie penguins swimming in open water.
Adelie penguins swimming in open water.
Adelie penguins swimming in open water.
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131780
Linder, Christopher L.
Adelie penguins swimming in open water.
Still Image
12/22/2007
graphics/pd3-1/cl_20071222_antarctica_adeliepenguins_033.jpg
To call a penguin flightless is to ignore its amazing abilities underwater. As penguins evolved, they gradually traded flying ability in air to become better swimmers. Their wings grew shorter and their feathers smaller, and they eventually lost the ability to fold their wings the way other birds do. In return, they developed a rigid, powerful flipper that can propel them through the water at speeds of 15 kilometers per hour. Here several Adelies are speeding across the surface, launching themselves into the air every time they need to take a breath. It's called porpoising, and it's amazing to watch. At almost any moment at Cape Crozier, you can see penguins charging across the broad ocean surface. One after another their sleek bodies erupt from the water and seem to float in the air for a moment before splashing back down.
Image of The Day caption:
To call a penguin flightless is to ignore its abilities underwater. As penguins evolved, their wings grew shorter and their feathers smaller, and they eventually lost the ability to fold their wings. In return, they developed a rigid, powerful flipper that can propel them through the water at speeds of 15 kilometers per hour. Here several Adelies speed across the surface, launching themselves into the air every time they need to take a breath. At almost any moment at Cape Crozier, you can see penguins charging across the broad ocean surface.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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