I haven’t talked about my penguin fetish, which began in 1964 when I wrote a term paper on penguins for my junior-high biology class. I still have the paper:
And I’m still enamored with Antarctic flightless birds. Here’s the top of my hard drive:
So I was very jealous to see a video taken on a March 12 Southwest Airlines flight, showing a penguin that had been deliberately released in the aisle to get some exercise. The flight was taking the penguin from San Francisco to San Diego to appear at a convention (he’s already wearing his tux). Notice how the features of the penguin are described on the intercom. This is why I love Southwest. Would I had been on that flight!
So cute. That one looks like an African penguin — Spheniscus demersus.
My parents collect penguiny things. It made holiday shopping easy for a while. Just find a unique penguin somewhere and you’re done.
But then the pressure became intense to not repeat oneself.
They probably have a couple hundred penguin collectibles.
“I have had it with these mother effin penguins on this mother effin plane!”
I have no idea why, but my family always bought me tons of penguin stuff. I never particularly like penguins, I mean they’re cool like a lot of other animals. Just thought it was weird everyone else decided I like these things.
You now know where to send them – to Prof or to Kevin’s parents!
They are also a delicious biscuit, probably not available in Chicago.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/sw/0/0b/Penguin-biscuit.jpg
In America, a biscuit is a breadstuff which often contains meat or egg… so the implication I got was rather unfortunate…
Hmmm, that looks a lot like a Tim Tam, well known to be the best chocolate biscuit in the world.
What I find particularly fascinating is how they can be so comically awkward on land like that and yet such amazingly graceful and powerful swimmers underwater.
b&
Beyond graceful! One of my biggest thrills was diving with penquins in the Galapagos. They’re like torpedos buzzing by so fast you almost don’t see them pass by you. Their power has to be seen to be believed.
They walk about as well as I swim.
Better than I do!
For awhile it was part of my job to clean the Woodland Park Zoo penguin pool every Friday. Fishy work.
Woodland Park, brings back good memories of Seattle …
But do you have a penguin on your telly?
Oh, intercourse the penguin!
I’ve run rings around you logically.
I think you should submit the Penguins paper to Biology Letters.
History (at least the youtube version by David O’Doherty) tells us that it was the humble penguin behind the irresistible force that pulled Ernest Shackleton to the Antarctic three times.
Brilliant!
My sister collects them too. I snapped some (bad) photos of a couple of them over Christmas.
Mine started with Fleetwood Mac.
And: Fleetwood Mac
Conclusive proof: penguins *can* fly!
(low hanging fruit)
Mike.
Jerry I think it is really neat that you kept that paper all these years.
Southwest is still a real airline. You know, one that provides normal airline services–for customers–instead of greedily sucking every penny from each and every passenger. When I was flying regularily…oh, never mind, that’s ancient history.
My interest began in 1957 when they arrived in Portland with great hoopla:
http://www.oregonzoo.org/Exhibits/penguin.htm
“Interestingly written. Excellent references.”
I think this blurb needs to go in your banner.
Penguins. I live in the town of Penguin, Tasmania. There are several colonies of the Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor, known locally as the Fairy Penguin along this stretch of coast. This is a beautiful part of the planet. (Having lived most of my 62 years here, I am, of course, biased)
I hope to see the Emperor penguins in Antarctica one day if I can afford it.
One of my better penguin photos:
http://www.metalvortex.com/images/Antarctica/slides/IMG_0417a.html
Or perhaps this:
http://www.metalvortex.com/images/Antarctica/slides/IMG_2094a.html
I can see I’m going to have to set aside a few hours or more to browse your albums!
The more recent photos are better; better equipment and better skills!
I’ve seen penguins shoot out of the ocean like missiles. I’ll try and post an image that shows a penguin just breaching the surface with the flow of water around its body.
Those dinasaurs get everywhere!
Your dinosaur photos are fabulous, and the whale tail too!
Thanks. That was a sperm whale. We had a pod under us but they were hard to photograph.
Why do penguins make people smile? Is it the way they walk?
Just a query, are there other Antarctic flightless birds?
Also, as noted above, Penguins are not just Antarctic, Galapagos, even inner suburban Melbourne.
http://stkildapenguins.com.au/
My whole life, I’ve most envied people who knew what work they wanted to do when they were kids, like Dr. Coyne, who apparently knew quite early that he was interested in biology. Or is just my assumption about your interest?
I have quite an extensive penguin collection, too.
We used to see Fairy Penguins on Granite Island at Victor Harbour in South Australia.
http://www.graniteisland.com.au
Aussie birds!
Jerry,
you have to come visit us in NZ, and I will take you to Jackson’s Bay on the South Island and show you Hector’s dolphin and penguins playing in the surf.
I kid you not; saw this for myself the fist time I visited there.
these are the penguins at Jackson’s bay that I saw.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/birds/sea-and-shore-birds/penguins/fiordland-crested-penguin-tawaki/facts/
even saved one from being run over by a car the night we camped there.
I don’t know what’s cuter, the penguin or Jerry’s report from junior high.
Oddly enough, I was taught middle school biology by penguins. Penguins with odd beliefs about what happens after biology, but penguins who accepted evolution.
And I was just *in* San Diego! Missed that flight by *that* much… dang! The video, though, was a very big hit with the kids–they’ve also insisted that I turn on the computer and show it to their friends:-) The smiles are really good to see.