QUESTION:
How come penguins jump out of the water?

        Mrs. Susan Mill's Third Grade Enrichment Class
        Tyrone, Georgia


ANSWER from Steve Downey, Antarctic Expert
            Fri, 7 Feb 1997 09:07:55 -0500

Dear Third Graders,

Jumping out of the water is called "purposing".  Penguins do this to breath
and, possibly, to confuse anything that is chasing them.

Not all penguins purpose while in the water.  Emperor penguins tend to dive
deeper in the water to hunt for food, and therefore, have not been seen
displaying this action.

As for how they do it, penguins use their flippers to swim through the
water reaching speeds high enough for them to jump several feet through the
air, or up onto land.  (Next time you're swimming, try holding a pair of
swim fins in your hands and using them to move you through the water
instead of your legs.  If it seems a little strange, remember penguins have
been doing this for millions of years--so they got a lot of practice at it).

Thanks for your question!
Steve