Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Penguins are some of the cutest animals in the world.
It’s undeniable.
They’re small, they’re cuddly, they look hilarious sliding down icy hills, and best
of all, the waddle around as if they really need to use the washroom.
This waddle makes them look like we do when we try to walk while locking our knees, which
makes some wonder if penguins have no knees at all.
So let’s put an end to this uncertainty once and for all!
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Now get ready, it’s time to ask the question: Do Penguins have knees?
Since this would otherwise be one of the shortest answers in the history of LBQ, let’s start
off with some facts about penguins.
With pictures.
CUTE pictures.
Penguins belong to the subfamily Spheniscinae, which is divided into 5 genuses: Aptenodytes,
or great penguins, Pygoscelis (pig-aw-sul-ous), or brush-tailed penguins, Eudyptula, or little
penguins, Spheniscus, or banded penguins, Eudyptes (you-dipts), or crested penguins,
and Megadyptes, or deep diving penguins, of which only one species remains.
The number of different species of penguin is still debated to this day.
You’d think given how far we’ve come in biology and the classification of animals,
this wouldn’t be a problem, but it seems that experts just can’t agree on the correct
classification.
For example, some believe the white-flippered penguin to be a subspecies of the Little penguin,
while others believe it to be a separate species altogether.
On the same token, some believe the royal penguin to be its own species, while others
believe it to simply be a colour morph of the macaroni penguin.
Furthermore, you may have wondered why penguins tend to be black and white.
Well, it’s no coincidence!
From above, their black back feathers allow them to blend in with the dark ocean beneath,
where light doesn’t penetrate.
And from below, their white bellies allow them to blend in with the surface of the water,
which is brightened due to sunlight!
Cool!
Okay, I think that’s enough penguin talk, so let’s get down to the question at hand:
Do penguins have knees or not?
This is a question that has been asked rather frequently.
And it’s understandable; looking at a penguin, they seem to hardly have legs at all, let
alone knees.
Aren’t they just a ball with feet on the end?
Well, according to their skeletal structure, that is not the case.
The first thing you may notice when looking at a penguin’s skeleton is just how long
a penguin’s legs are.
I can honestly say that this was a pretty huge shock for me when I first saw it.
As it turns out, penguin legs aren’t dissimilar to other legs we see in the animal kingdom.
They’re composed of a short femur, a knee, a tibia, and a fibula.
However, much of the leg is covered by thick feathers, which is why many doubt the existence
of their knees.
But if they have knees, why do they waddle around like they don’t?
Wouldn’t that just be a waste of energy?
Well, yes.
Penguins expend twice as much energy as any other terrestrial mammal of the same size
when walking.
Waddling isn’t the fastest way to move around, which is part of why they spend so much time
sliding or swimming around.
And this does make sense; if you’ve ever tried waddling around like a penguin, you’ll
know that it’s considerably more tiring than regular walking.
If you’ve never tried this before, do it now!
Especially if you’re in public.
But thanks to the work of penguin researchers, we’ve learned that this waddle is actually
a way to compensate for their skeletal structure which is ill-equipped for walking.
Penguins have short legs and large feet, something that helps them swim quickly and keep warm,
but makes it difficult to walk normally.
The signature waddle is actually an effective way to minimize their flaws.
By rocking back and forth, they raise their centre of mass, allowing them to move more
efficiently than relying solely on their muscles.
If they tried to walk normally, they would actually be slower.
So, even though they have knees, the build of their legs makes it so that waddling is
just the better choice.
And now we return to our question: Do Penguins have Knees?
Well, despite their silly waddle, it seems that they do, in fact, have knees.
The skeletons don’t lie.
Just like Shakira’s hips.
Hopefully this, as well as the other information in this video, gives you a new understanding
of these Antarctic treasures.
Also, as a bonus fact for those who stuck with me the whole video, when emperor penguins
molt, they look just like Wildlings from Game of Thrones.
How cute is that?
http://bit.ly/2onxKtp Thank you for watching Life’s Biggest Questions,
I hope this was interesting and informative, and maybe even inspired you to look into it
further on your own.
Or at least, that it inspired you to watch cute penguin videos.
That’s good too.
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While you’re down there, let me know what other weird animal questions you may have.
And if you just can’t wait, check out our Biggest Science Questions playlist on the
channel!
Until next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Life’s Biggest Questions, wishing you
the best of luck, on your quest for answers.
Are penguins always crouching?
So it’s basically like when you were a kid and you tucked your legs into your shirt,
with only your feet sticking out.