The Insane Biology of: The Emperor Penguin

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Images Courtesy of Getty Images
Thanks to our Patreon Supporters:
Eric Ypsilantis
Robert Thompson
Keith Skipper
Credits:
Writer/Narrator: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Justin Chua ([e-mail])
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1)
Illustrator: Jacek Ambrożewski
Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (kpatart.com/illustrations)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraphics.com/)
Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster ( / forgottentowel )
Producer: Brian McManus ( / realengineering )
References:
[1] www.britannica.com/animal/emp...
[2] journals.plos.org/plosone/art...
[3] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recapit...
[4] www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/...
[5] www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
[6] doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1304838110
[7] www.newscientist.com/article/...
[8] doi.org/10.3354/meps08868
[9] www.researchgate.net/publicat...
[10] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20472...
[11] www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas...
[12] doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2033
[13] doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.1192
[14] doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.201...
[15] doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2013.0...
[16] www.antarctica.gov.au/about-a... e/
[17] doi.org/10.2307/1367469
[18] doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00...

[@freddyP300]

I can’t believe you ignored what is arguably their most important adaptation! They can dance! Trust me saw a whole movie about it

[@realscience]

I figured the nature documentary Happy Feet had already covered this extensively lol

[@slcpunk2740]

​@@realscience You didn't want to step on their toes? 😂

[@AldrianCG]

They are also good at surfing! 👍🏼

[@SuperFilmregisseur]

And at hijacking cargo ships 👍

[@HISTORYSQUARE]

They can surf They can dance They are cute We are the fans They can fight they have legions. We love them they are emperor penguins

[@nekomakhea9440]

You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like

[@shakeit995]

I may not like it? I love it

[@IAmUBro]

"Upright, clumsy, kinda chubby social creatures, who just want to cuddle." The writing for this has always been solid, and it's only improved over time. Thank you for all your hard work

[@_aitalks_]

Agreed! Amazing segue to the ad!

[@aBitTedious]

Haha no wonder I love penguins. We have so much in common 😂

[@PoliticalMatter]

In those cold. Harsh climates; no wonder they are social animals.

[@CrimsonA1]

I mean, it's all cute and cuddly until you see the insides of their mouths 😬

[@Bike_baik_saja_]

and they have siblings that eating bamboo

[@aks47u]

Penguineering

[@GeoffryGifari]

Related to penguin evolution, are all flightless birds evolved from flying ancestors? Are there flightless bird lineages which never really took off from the ground even since the dinosaur times?

[@realscience]

good question! I had to look it up myself. It seems that even the ancestor of ostriches, kakapos, and kiwis could once fly. It seems at first glance that yes, all flightless birds evolved from flying ancestors

[@Lotschi]

that‘s a super interesting question!

[@BlessingsMate]

Do you think a fat bird with feathers would flourish trying to swim while waiting for evolution to catch up! Like a whale with half a leg and a nose above it's eyes! Everything is perfectly adapted to its environment now in insane ways because of design. Not purposeless mutations (that cause a loss of information). Life is miraculous and precious, talk to your Creator before its too late. Jesus loves you

[@apan2480]

All bird lineages come from a flying ancestor.

[@kkivvix9406]

​​@@BlessingsMateEverything is not perfectly adapted, it is "good enough." Evolution is not a conscious endeavor, does not have any goals, nor does an individual evolve. Your concept of perfection is flawed as it pushes the narrative that there is no inherent struggle to survive and that individuals choose to change for their environment. It is random mutations and natural selection (which is external to any single organism), that's all. Organisms are constantly playing catch up (also referred to as an arms race) with their surroundings, that includes penguins. Some die because its too warm, some die because its too cold, some are bad at catching fish. Whats left are those that were good enough (not perfect) to survive. If animals were perfect there wouldn't be ~51 extinct species of penguin.

[@sciencenerd7639]

17:05 penguin just keeps truckin along

[@Penguin_Happy]

That was me!

[@Silver-Arrow]

i felt this

[@DustinHaning]

Penguins are one of the few animals that can actually say, "I'm just big boned!"

[@MrBarryyoung]

Can we mention how they walk and stand like they are barefoot on a freezing tile floor? Love the series! Great education, great entertainment/humor!

[@th1nk_outside]

Yeah i always wonder how also ducks in winter stand barefoot on the ice and have their feet in the freezing water all day. Turns out they have very strong blood circulation in the feet, an insulating skin and some kind of heat exchange mechanism to heat the blood before it comes back into the body from the feet. Still cant imagine how its possible, especially for such a small animal that isnt even moving a lot

[@guanium]

Well, animals aren't humans so their feet is not the same as ours but adapted to the environment they are in.

[@stickthick3155]

Just smile and wave boy's just smill and wave

[@specster3795]

Seeing this Channel grow has been amazing, this is one my favourite KZbin channels as the research is so in depth and the editing is so good!

[@austinwald2731]

The subtleness and style of the background music fits perfect!

[@crystalm4324]

My pet peeve is that there is no documentaries on what penguins and seals do the OTHER 6 months (or so) of the year! We never get to see how they survive in the open ocean, not touching land or ice for months. Why don’t we ever see floating pods of sleeping penguins, walruses or elephant seals!? Any one else agree?

[@jonr6680]

They are busy working on their movie contracts of course!

[@12pentaborane]

I don't think penguins live months on end in the open ocean.

[@RippieFarmer]

...the other 6 months of the year.... they are feeding, socializing and getting ready for another round of breeding. There are plenty of documentary type videos available that focus on that aspect, just gotta know to search 🔍 for them

[@solalvergara]

There is year long ice and land in Antarctica so they don't have to hang out in the open ocean all the time like. Plus got tons of surfing competitions so they busy

[@randomsleepyness]

Imagine if penguins discovered coffee.

[@callum4796]

The mass trawledge of krill is also affecting them as its a major part of their diet. Since whaling was basically forcefully stopped in the Antarctic by the organisation Sea Sheppard krill trawling has increased which has effected the breeding rates of both whales and penguins as its essential to their diet. This has led Sea Sheppard to deploy ships to the Antarctic this year to attempt to forcefully stop the mass trawling of krill

[@th1nk_outside]

They are the real heros. People who risk and commit their lives to travel into a lawless place and fight reckless companies for the sake of our planet. Big respect for sea shepherd!

[@LetsTalkAboutPrepping]

Stinky eggs! Throw the stinky eggs!

[@michaelbayley9432]

Vasoconstriction is actually fairly common in birds it’s actually hugely advantageous to birds of prey for diving as effectively lets them reach those race car speeds safely. But it also just helps regulate temperature with air temperature changes from elevation.

[@lightice.i]

I never understand how people can view an animal like the emperor penguin as “inferior” or deemed as the bottom of the evolutionary gifted. It literally takes a high amount of specialization to not only survive, but thrive in the polar regions. I know it’s because there is a learning curve in science and especially in the beginning they didn’t know better in combination with their cultural biases, but damn bruh they don’t deserve that shade 😭 so thanks for the video helping clear this exact fumble- i agree w @freddyP300, i saw it too they CAN dance

[@lukas823]

22:27 damn. That got deep really quick

[@thalmoragent9344]

Whether soaring high above in the skies, diving deep beneath the waves, or remaining firm upon the ground, the Dinosaurs of this Era still, in their own way, rule this world.

[@LetsTalkAboutPrepping]

Sorta. Bring any of them against me and we'll see who's superior

[@charleswingfield380]

please do a real science video on the biology of tigers but still a great job you have done

[@jakethomason5495]

that penguin falling down at 17:00 lol

[@zedd_maraj]

Thank you for your amazing content of the “insane biology”, im always waiting for new episodes and i hope you can post more frequently . Thank you ❤️

[@Cryptic141]

probably the only emperor worthy of its title

[@GeoffryGifari]

How different are hemoglobin molecules in different animals to make them able to store more oxygen?

[@El_Vuego]

Your channel is seriously my favorite of all KZbin. Your videos are beautifully designed, thoroughly researched and your voice is pleasant to listen to. I'm learning so much, and i will be watching and liking every video you make.

[@SamFischer117]

honestly I loved the video about their unqiue adaptations... but your transition into your sponsor segment was absolutely flawless! always enjoy your videos

[@ConWolffilms133]

I’ve always loved watching videos just talking about animals for whatever amount of time and just learning more and more about the creatures on earth! There’s always been something about the wild that has always interested me. I really like your videos in particular so keep up the good work!

[@Innomen]

Watching them effortlessly shoot from the water to the ice is such a massive own if you've ever tried to climb from water onto like a slick rock before. Nothing will remind you how inept your body plan is like that. Seriously worthy of the sunglasses meme. Bro do you even ice? I also love how they use their beak like an ice pick hammer to yank themselves forward if the initial jump wasn't quite enough. Truly, lords of the ice. Your torpedo compare is apt, we need to be making giant robot penguins as our submarine design.

[@shadygodd]

i was so offended when you said people thought they were the lowest tier of birds because ive always loved penguins bc they couldnt fly and dived

[@whiskey6string]

That's it. I'm naming my band Russian Penguin Technology.

[@jonr6680]

What a perfect video, voiceover is sublime and the script and research are top class, visuals are incredible. Plus the subject is actually worth the hyperbolic title! For once is not clickbaity. Got to bring up the missing key fact, penguins are off the charts on the cuteness scale, as certain franchise movies attest... Funny how science hasn't managed to enumerate this dimension yet.

[@dracodracarys2339]

Makes you wonder why penguins ditched flying to swim better, when their northern counterpart the puffin is an equally talented swimmer but still can also fly.

[@ivolocoso6989]

The educational and production value of these videos is insane, thank you so much for making them.

[@asifuzzaman21]

Absolutely love all of your videos. Keep making them.

[@helloitsnicko]

Accidental Russian Penguin Technology is my favourite 70s prog rock band

[@helloitsnicko]

Aw they changed the thumbnail, now my comment makes me look like an insane person Ps. Look at that majestic beast @ 2:47 PPs. 17:05 lmao

[@kushclarkkent6669]

My favorite animal, baby! This is one of the greatest videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you!

[@EdeYOlorDSZs]

This channel never disappoints! ❤

[@mannyortega]

That must have been one of the smoothest, most over-engineered segways, I've ever come across in a youtube video! :D

[@TheMrKlump]

I've always been drawn to penguins and this video made me appreciate them so much more.

[@castrumsolitas4355]

I love your channel. Thank you for the information ❤️

[@shelbysloan5983]

That was a super smooth transition into the sponsor 👌 super well done.

[@rubycelica]

i think you are my favourite channel here on yt❤your voice is so pleasant and engaging and your content is extremely well prepared/put together and informative. i really love it and appreciate your efforts very very much!

[@rishishukla2241]

My favorite animal!! I had requested the this episode in an earlier video. Thank you!

[@pizzadude64]

babe wake up, the insane biology of just dropped a new video

[@keerthikrishna6670]

Just discovered your channel and all your content is awesome 😄

[@HanyaAngulooke]

It's extremely depressing that these amazing adaptions have costed them greatly due to our caused climate change as it's the first time an entire penguin colony has lost their eggs and offspring to being submerged in water. I really hope we won't have to rely on zoo penguins being the last vestiges of the species 😞

[@phoenix-sound]

What are you on about?

[@HanyaAngulooke]

@@phoenix-sound Sorry maybe I was a little long winded but here is the article I'm talking about scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=first+recorded+penguin&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&t=1706787827276&u=%23p%3DSU4xXWFuLhUJ

[@mexalcorta]

We must manufacture more electric cars!!!!!!!

[@davidegaruti2582]

Luckily these are not the only penguins left ! But it would still be a shame to lose them

[@phoenix-sound]

I wish every single penguin lived forever and ever and that no one would ever die or go hungry.

[@Sawaedo]

Thank you for this awesome video!

[@CovertGhoul]

Very surprised that I consistently watch these ads and not skip them. Very well done.

[@diego89132]

Great video thank you for your work 💪💪

[@_ayush_oswal]

Love this series❤ so informative 👏 👍

[@nazarnovitsky9868]

Thanks for this new video !!! 😊

[@RobertHenderson.poopiebear]

I LOVE the way they walk. The shorts of them falling and getting up is SUPER CUTE 😂!

[@rootbeef]

Thanks for another amazing video! I know you've done sea turtles but I'd love to see an Insane Biology of turtles and tortoises in general (or any one species of your choosing), because after volunteering at a turtle rescue for a year and reading Of Time And Turtles by Sy Montgomery, I've learned just how bonkers their healing abilities and general biology are. They're amazing animals that deserve a spotlight!

[@GeoffryGifari]

When it comes to penguins, don't their fat layers make it harder to dive? What is the relative density of penguin fat compared to water (or human fat)?

[@slcpunk2740]

I would guess that it's not related to fat vs water but fat vs the rest of their body. If by making themselves slightly larger they can be significantly heavier than it would benefit them over being slightly smaller and much lighter. Water is heavy so they would likely still have to exert themselves to dive but to a lesser degree. 🤔 I may be wrong. 🤷

[@GeoffryGifari]

@@slcpunk2740 Could be... but that requires their bones and other organs to be denser (and much more so for bird standards) could be...

[@slcpunk2740]

​@@GeoffryGifari you're thinking flighted birds, penguin bones are not the same ... also aquatic animals have denser bones in general

[@GeoffryGifari]

@@slcpunk2740 exactly... the result of the evolution of their bones compared to other birds (as I remember its mentioned that penguins evolved from flying birds... so the change in density is even more drastic) might end up countering the buoyancy of their fat

[@th1nk_outside]

Ever seen a sperm whale? It dives 3km deep and has huge amounts of fat

[@Gift-fh4qw]

So emperor penguins like formula 1 cars have DRS ( drag reduction system)

[@Bbeff.Baby.]

Absolutely love this video and absolutely love penguins !I have to say you have the cutest voice ❤

[@tannercarlson7419]

Love these videos!

[@no-uq5qe]

love your videos! please consider adding captions!

[@d33w]

Underwater missiles are usually called torpedoes, no? Anyway, great video love them penguins

[@Hizzy76]

My family still hunts penguin to this day with our tribe. Smart bird and taste great

[@myspleenisbursting4825]

How do you cook them

[@stevec7923]

Now that's silly. Everybody knows they have great taste.

[@carolinegodden4364]

'The Lords of Antarctica ' 🙇

[@adriancheng935]

Very educational, nice video! 😊

[@ancestralworm]

Another fantastic video.

[@adi8941]

thank you for the great video

[@Kroggnagch]

God... some of these shots look so, so incredibly cold. Yet, life, it thrives there. It doesn't just, uhh, find a way, it totally thrives. How incredible.

[@ryateo1]

"this isn't how it works at all" Lol, the hubris as you stand on the backs of giants.

[@rishishukla2241]

Can you make a video on the biology of a thermophilic bacteria or mycoplasma. Non-animal videos would be great too

[@eyespliced]

The way I've thought about penguins is that while they may not be able to fly in the air, they now fly in the ocean. Because that is what they are doing. They aren't swimming, they are flying in the water; or treating it like the air.

[@theflyingdutchguy9870]

for the longest time i thought emperor penguins where much bigger than they are. i mean, usually we see them without any reverence for height. i thought they where like 6ft on average. maybe because they look like they are in happy feet

[@stevec7923]

I love this channel. The scripts, the science, the visuals -- all top-notch. I have one pet peeve. Pronunciation of words like "important." There is not supposed to be a guttural stop in the middle. For me, it's jarring.

[@SailorGreenTea]

I guess we know which animal the next missiles shall be modeled after.

[@amlcarbarca]

the thumbnail is a King Penguin, still you produce amazing content! thanks!

[@Christopherlidis]

That was the smoothest transition to a sponsor

[@davidbelen7199]

He was drunk 🥴 17:04 These lil dudes are so cool.

[@benejeneb]

Damn, I'd love to try the coffee but only USA shipping 🤷🏻 Fantastic videos as always 😊

[@fauxvier8519]

Incredible video

[@Mighty_Maihi]

I have seen 2 wild living swimming penguins here in New Zealand. One exploring the rock caves during my militart training and onnat Ōrewa Beach where I reside, during a cyclone, at 11:53 pm pitch dark but waves crashing and rain falling. We were soaked. It Swam right between my legs before my aunt could take the video (problems with the wet) but there I was knee high with the water. It sounded like a dog lost at sea at first. Then it became more clear to the ear. Beautiful bluey pingu.

[@michelprins]

great video thx

[@-Zax-]

Really amazing video.

[@uncleiroh5672]

Funny to think that the penguins think that water must be warm 😂

[@sanssoucilucci]

Watched it on nebula first, forgot, and started tripping out when i couldnt remember where i knew everything from 🤣🤣🤣

[@booj1827]

Great videos!

[@taotzu1339]

I was in the movie theater watching March of the Penguins couple years back. There was a young boy in the theater that started to cry and scream really loud when the giant petrol birds started attacking the baby penguins. Didn't know baby penguins can make anyone cry like that. (BTW, his mother had to take him out of the theater room to quiet and calm him down.)

[@nickinurse6433]

We really should study how they do that heat retention with their feathers and try to imitate it to make warm clothes for the cold parts of the world. I worry about the polar bears but not really the Penguins they seem to be so adaptable. I think as the ice freezes they will just evolve like their southern cousins

[@DelfinoGarza77]

Actully the latest research shows conclusively that emperor penguins are nuclear powered.

[@stevec7923]

nuclear? unclear

[@mellon4251]

This was the longest introduction to a sponsor I've seen in a long time 😄 Good video though

[@susanacuratolo1200]

GREAT PROGRAM STEPHANIE-- TRADE IS GREAT TOO☕😉

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

That's a king penguin in the thumbnail!

[@meganmccrea97]

love your videos!

[@SlifWon]

"We now know that is not how it works, like, at all" - Real Science on recapitulation theory, 2024

[@Davethreshold]

I walk EXACTLY like they do when I walk on the ice. I look so much like them I'm afraid I will grow feathers. It's funny because Lady's Figure skating is one of my favorite sports to watch and I have met Ashley Wagner, Sasha Cohen, and a couple other team U.S.A. friends.❤ Thank you for this one!

[@kyokoyumi]

Damn that was the longest most elastic ad transition ever xD

[@murphygreen8484]

Nice! Do Red pandas next!

[@jamesgeschwender2276]

If Internet was around back when i went to school I'd be a different person today. Instead of discovering girls and weed I'd be hanging out with the emperor penguin. I found them so fascinating and I never realized how big they were. Growing up seeing pictures of them seen them on TV and always thought they were little birds . Great video Thank you 😊😊😊

[@ahmed323]

Another banger

[@calibaba2739]

Thank you. Good video. How the penguin not getting decompression sickness？

[@michaelrodriguez4818]

That was one of the smoothest, relatable, and perfect ad segues I've ever seen. Glad to see you showing your beautiful face more often my goddess.

[@seper159]

You should do a video on Mimicry

[@combat-greyhound565]

The Emperor is not as forgivin as I am

[@GeoffryGifari]

How did emperor penguins manage to evolve such larger bodies compared to other penguins? Is it related to their dominance in antarctica?

[@IHatePeopleOfColor]

We dont care

[@Nsq2468]

Probably due to the cold and abundant food resources as well as a lack of land predators enabling - and perhaps encouraging - them to grow larger

[@GeoffryGifari]

@@Nsq2468 Thinking about it... how did their prey get so abundant anyway, when that whole ecosystem is frigid?

[@Nsq2468]

@GeoffryGifari I'm fairly certain the reason the poles are so productive is the ice sheets give solid placing with sunlight for algae and stuff to grow which feeds krill and other creatures like that and then boom, food chain. It's like reefs and shallow sea areas, just cold

[@killerwal4387]

Penguin-ancestors (like the ones that already couldnt fly) were actually insanely big, during certain times they were basically the apex predators of earth. Then with lots and lots of other animals, they evolved smaller bodies for the same reasons. Relatively, the emperor penguins just didn't do that much evolving and stayed bigger than the others, because of what the other guy just said (short answer is because they *could*, most animals get bigger when they get more food and better living situations, because its just objectively better, as long as you can afford it).

[@voldem0rt]

How do I get a pet Emperor Penguin of my own? Like... how much would it cost me up front and what kind of annual costs to maintain a happy living environment for him or her... or should I get two so they have a friend?

[@creativeearthian1702]

One of the greatest paradoxes of nature, the evolution of Penguin: Water -> land -> air -> land -> water

[@BlessingsMate]

It actually shows the absurdity of Evolution. How can an organism do this through mutations (a loss of information) and time?! How could it survive the transitions!! Rather it points to Creation! They are insane because they are designed to flourish in their environment.

[@myboysd5772]

@@BlessingsMate Thanks bro i really tried my best with penguins to throw those silly evolutionists off lmaoo now remember to not say my name in vain or you will literally be tortured longer than the sun will exist, and thats not even a second of eternity because eternity is eternal lmaoo now DONT SAY IT

[@BlessingsMate]

​@@myboysd5772you can say His name, in fact if you are honest in your heart and call out His name He is there with open arms (no matter how 'bad' you have been). Jesus is our Creator and He loves you mate. Have you only read the 10 commandments?! No wonder you think He is a policeman in the sky! Read the full historical account and make a fair judgement. Because eternity is forever and we only have choices while we are alive.

[@myboysd5772]

@@BlessingsMate ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)