RimeRealm – Life On Ice

In fact, penguins do have wings, but because of the way these appendages are used and how they have evolved, penguin wings are scientifically considered fins. Penguins have wings, or to be more precise, fins because they used to need them. All birds share a common winged ancestor, but they have since diverged in order to better survive in their environments. In the case of penguins, the ancestral wings are adapted to assist in their swimming. Penguin wings have evolved to swim, not fly in the traditional sense. While penguins have wings, they don't use them to fly, and so don't fly in the traditional sense we usually associate with other birds. No, penguins use their wings (called flippers) to float in the water, not in the air. Due to the tapered, flattened design of the penguin's wing, the penguin's wing is used in an up and down motion similar to flight to propel them through the water. Penguins Have Fins - Not Wings The correct terminology for penguin wings would be fins, as penguins use them to swim underwater or propel themselves out of the water with great force. Penguin wings are advanced fins that they can only use to swim underwater, not to fly. We can say that penguins have wings, but developed fins help them function in everyday life. While other birds have adapted their wings for flight, penguins have adapted their fin-like wings to swim in the water. Unlike bird wings in flight, penguin fins can only move from the shoulder. The penguin's fins cannot fold, which means that the penguin can fly through the water with force without breaking the fins. Since penguins have a streamlined body, which is great for flight, they can gently cut through the water. The movements of the penguin's fins are such that they make penguins slim and reduce water resistance when diving or swimming underwater. While not very useful on land, penguins' fins function as propellers underwater, allowing them to propel themselves forward and greatly increase their speed. As penguins evolved, their wings evolved into fins that were more suited to swimming than flying. How Penguin Wings Changed As time went on and penguins used their wings less and less, nature took its course and penguins developed fins that were much more effective in helping penguins survive and thrive in the harsh weather conditions of the Antarctic region. Over time, the penguins adapted to become more and more waterfowl, changing their real wings to "fins". It is believed that as the penguins improved in swimming, they gradually lost the ability to fly. Instead, these birds have evolved to become more aquatic in order to better survive in their habitat. A popular biomechanical theory suggests that bird wings, once adapted for flight, simply became more and more efficient for swimming and eventually lost the ability to lift penguins off the ground. Escaping predators like leopard seals at sea would also be easier if penguins could fly, so scientists have often wondered why and how the birds lost this ability. While these features allow penguins to effectively "fly" through the water, penguins had to sacrifice their ability to fly through the air to achieve this. Although penguins cannot fly through the air, they do know exactly how to move around in the marine environment. Modern penguins also have many useful muscles that help them develop impressive speeds when flying through the water. Penguins have powerful wings and strong pectoral muscles that push them right through the water, unlike most other birds that swim and have to use their legs. Why Penguins Needed Fins Penguins need these powerful fin-like wings to move through the water and catch food. They bite fiercely and also use their thick, strap-like wings to defeat their opponent. Penguins are known to be very strong and fast swimmers and use their highly developed fins to propel themselves underwater with all their might. Penguins cannot raise their fins directly into the air or raise them above their heads or backs, as birds do in flight. Instead of wings like other birds, penguins have conical, flattened fins for swimming. Just as marine mammals such as whales and dolphins evolved leg-like appendages into fins, penguin wings evolved into fins to make swimming easier. While penguins are the only birds that have true fins, other pelagic (open sea) birds that spend a lot of time swimming also have some fins on their wings. Water penguins' wings are strong enough to move from below the surface to the ground, where the penguins will use their wings to help balance their large bodies while they swing. The penguin usually plucks the small feathers of the wings, giving the wings a waterproofing effect, so the penguin dives excellently. When observing penguins in their natural habitat or in zoos, it is easy to believe that they have no wings at all, as they do not fly and their swimming movements are more like those of fish than other swimming birds. They relied on the oceans for food, so developing fins for good swimming was more important than growing wings for flight.

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