The emperor is the largest species of penguin
Weighing in up to 38 kilograms a third of which is Blubber
The more body fat the more likely they are to survive the coming winter
But to maintain it they need to hunt
diving longer and deeper than any other penguin
They hold their breath for up to 20 minutes at a time
to maximize their chance of finding food and
building up their vital fat stores
But all that bulk comes out of price and poses an interesting problem
How does a bird the same weight as a baby, hippo get itself back out of the water?
a recent revelatory study suggests an intriguing solution.
A team of European scientists
Recently looked again in more detail at some long observed penguin behavior.
At the end of a long dive
Instead of jumping straight out of the water
many Emperor's surface for a short time and then dive back down again
Only then ,they shoot back up to the surface this time accelerating clear of the water.
So why do they have this temporary pit stop?
The obvious answer is that they return for a much-needed gulp of air and a bit of rest,
before diving back down to pick up enough speed for their grand exit
But what the research team now think is going on is actually a lot more interesting
when the birds come to the surface they appear to preen
In fact, they are actively collecting air within a fine downy mesh at the base of their feathers
As the penguins descend, the water pressure increases
reducing the volume of the trapped air by up to 75%.
The Birds again rely on their individual muscles at the base of each feather
This time they clamp them shut locking in the compacted air that they've collected
When it's time to exit the penguin then swims upwards as fast as it can
The trapped air in the plumage expands during their ascent and pause through the feathers
Producing the bubbly wakes we can see behind them
the tiny micro bubbles form a lubricating coat of air that surrounds the penguin
This drastically reduces drag
and allows them to accelerate to twice their normal swimming speed at the point they leave the water
this flightless bird finally becomes airborne