Photo by Kelvin Cope
Emperor
penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri ) are endemic in the Antarctic and are known
to breed in winter. In order to survive the cold winds, penguins huddle together without moving to create a tightly packed unit [2]. This allows them to conserve energy and
maintain their body temperature [2].
Huddle movement is also observed where directional movements may originate from any huddle caused by a single penguin. This movement was even compared to a traffic jam [1]. The small
forward movement by cars in traffic situations are the same with 2 cm
movements of penguins within a huddle [1]. This movement causes their neighbour
to move a step closer in the same direction, in the end merging small huddles
with the bigger huddles [1, 2].
To know more about Emperor penguins, visit SeaLifeBase.
___________________
[1] IOP
Institute of Physics (2013) Traffic jams lend insight into emperor penguin
huddle. http://www.iop.org/news/13/dec/page_62141.html
[Accessed 19 December 2013].
[2] Zitterbart
DP, Wienecke B, Butler JP, Fabry B (2011) Coordinated Movements Prevent Jamming
in an Emperor Penguin Huddle. PLoS ONE 6(6): e20260.
Written by:
