Penguins have an amazing navigation ability to find their way.
How do penguins navigate?
Scientists have long been mystified by the ability of penguins to find their way back to land from far out at sea. Ocean currents can carry penguins a long way from their colonies. Yet the birds seem to know the direction back — with no clear landmarks to guide them home.
Penguins are fascinating for many
reasons. One is that they have the highest density of feathers of
any bird. Dr. Bernard Stonehouse said in his book The General
Biology and Thermal Balance of Penguins (way back in 1967) that
he counted 11 or 12 feathers per centimetre (70 per square inch) in
penguiins he studied. On land, the penguin keeps its feathers erect
to trap air, which insulates it. At sea, the penguin flattens its
feathers to form a watertight barrier.
But the mystery of penguin navigation is probably the most fascinating aspect of penguins.
Researchers took some penguins into a flat, featureless area in Antarctica to see if the birds could find their way home.
When released, the penguins looked around, then set off in the correct direction of their colonies. While the sun was out they kept heading the right way. Only when the sky became overcast did the penguins seem confused and start to wander aimlessly.
Sun guides them
The researchers concluded that the penguins used the sun to orientate themselves at sea, although they admitted they don't understand this ability.
Penguins at sea with no idea of how to get back to their breeding colony would quickly become extinct.
The theory of evolution has no easy explanation for the penguin's amazing navigational ability. But a very reasonable explanation for the penguins' continued existence is that God the Creator endowed them with their special ability — simply to equip them for their unusual way of life.
Penguins fall for pilots
British pilots stationed in the Falkland Islands invented a game they played with local penguins, a Mexican news report claimed. The pilots found a beach with thousands of penguins and noticed that the birds seemed captivated by the planes flying overhead.
As the planes flew along the beach, the pilots noticed thousands of penguins turning their heads in unison to watch the planes. So the pilots flew toward the ocean, forcing the penguins to look up, then they flew straight toward and over the penguins, causing the birds to look further back until they toppled over.
> Other Oddspots
Related topics:
- The Australian mallee fowl can take temperature accurately. Is this the world's most amazing bird?
- Why do geese fly in a V formation?
- Why are ostrich eggs so strong?
- Was the pterodactyl found in France in 1856 actually a hoax?
- Did the extinct dodo help the rare Calvaria tree survive?
- A rooster without feathers? What lessons can we learn from this chicken named TNR?
| Main page || Creation Tips Teen Topics || Crystal Clear Creation || DinosaurCam || Games || Newsdesk |
Contact us.
Website: www.creationtips.com
Copyright © Creation Tips and its
licensors. All rights reserved.