Fact Of Life

Penguins are among the most skilled fish-eating animals in the world, which is necessary to fuel their high caloric needs. In contrast to fish who need relatively few calories to drive their cold-blooded metabolisms, penguins must eat a lot to heat their bodies internally. Penguins' maneuverability in the water has come at the cost of not only flight, but also gracefulness while walking. Some species engage in a practice called “tobogganing” in which they lie on their bellies and slide from place to place.

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Hunting for krill

Penguins' mouths have a series of spines pointing down their throats, so when they catch food, it stays in their mouths. Penguins almost never chew their food, as they have no teeth other than these spines used for holding the food in place. This is extremely helpful when catching small foods like krill. To catch krill, a penguin typically jumps or slides into the water, then uses its beak to gather the krill like a net. A penguin can also use its sharp beak to collect krill that is sitting on the underside of the ice.

Hunting for fish

Penguins' sharp beaks with sharp edges is a huge advantage to gathering fish quickly. They slide into the water after a school of fish, swim along with the fish and catch fish one at a time, swallowing them as they go. When the penguins have had enough to eat, they climb out of the water and go to sleep.

Hunting for squid

Penguins get squid to eat less often than either krill or fish because squid don't frequent arctic waters. When a penguin is lucky enough to spot a few (penguins eat small squid, around 4 to 5 inches long), he'll dive or slide into the water, swim quickly after the squid, and catch the squid in his mouth. A penguin's throat spines keep the squid from escaping out of his mouth. Then the penguin swallows the squid whole.