QUESTION:
Has a penguin ever bitten a person?  We wondered that
because you handle penguins every day.


         Mrs. Gindorff's class at Brimhall School
         Roseville, MN,USA. 

ANSWER from Donna Patterson, Resercher, Dr. Fraser's Team
            Palmer Station, Antarctica
            Fri, 21 Mar 1997 15:17:29 -0500

Hello Mrs. Gindorff's Class,

Yes, penguins do bite people, and although they do not have teeth 
like we do, they have a very (very!) strong bill that can cause a lot 
of pain.  They are capable of biting through the skin, but more often 
they leave a nasty looking bruise.  The end of the beak  often has a 
slight downward curve or hook and can be very sharp.   Sometimes it is 
possible to wear gloves, but we usually need to handle instruments or 
calipers (to measure the beak, or culmen), so our fingers and hands are 
almost always exposed.   We are very careful when handling penguins to 
keep them away from our faces and to watch where we put our hands. 

Donna Patterson