[PDF] The Aquatic World of Penguins: Biology of Fish-Birds by David G Ainley, Rory P Wilson

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Centuries ago, when penguins were first encountered by European explorers, they were not thought to be birds but rather a fish-like relative. Subsequent accumulation of knowledge has shown penguins to be an avian species with unrivaled aquatic attributes, owing to a number of evolutionary adaptations: shape change, low drag, ability to regulate buoyancy, and extraordinary surface compliancy from their featheration. They are indeed the most extremely specialized diving bird, having given up flight (which otherwise is hugely advantageous) to the benefit of underwater prowess (such as speed, maneuverability and an ability to exploit an extraordinary range of depths). This flightlessness, however, also comes with costs that are substantial for a seabird (such as the inability to cover large distances quickly in reaction to ephemeral prey); and the energy needed to cope with moving through an aqueous environment, which is more resistant than air. For penguins, the high energetic costs in exploiting the ocean environment thus makes them especially sensitive to changes in food availability or their access to their prey. While a number of “penguin books” cover the natural history, mainly of breeding aspects, few address in much detail the incredible aquatic nature of these creatures. A huge amount of information has been amassed over recent past decades thanks to dramatic advances in microelectronics, bio-logging and maturation of some long-term studies of penguin life history. This work represents an integration of all these data with charts, maps and graphs, along with richly illustrated photos by experts in the field.

Sphenisciformes - an overview
The design of penguins is largely constrained by their commitment to an aquatic lifestyle. Fish-eating water birds and penguins are able with their sharp beak 
Biological characteristics of the African penguins sampled
The world population of the endangered African penguin Spheniscus demersus has decreased from more than 1.5 million individuals in the early 1900s to c.a. 23 
Adélie penguin
In aquatic birds such as the Adelie penguin, nasal salt glands excrete an IOC World Bird List. Retrieved 27 April 2022. Hombron, Jacques Bernard 
(PDF) The initial journey of juvenile emperor penguins
Home · Ornithology · Biological Science · Zoology · birds · Penguins. ArticlePDF Fish-Birds at Home in Their Oceanic Habitats. Chapter. Nov 2023. David G.
Why Can't Penguins Fly?
Instead, these birds evolved to become more aquatic to better survive in their habitat. http://www.penguins-world.com/why-penguins-can't-fly.html (site 
Penguin guide: how to identify each species and best
In our expert penguin guide learn all about these spectacular aquatic flightless birds Penguins eat a variety of seafood such as fish, squid and crustaceans.