Penguin Wings

name         danielle
status       educator
grade        K-3
location     NJ

Question -   How come penguins can't fly?  Why do they have
wings?
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Penguins are birds so having wings in no surprise.  However, even
though penguins have lost their ability to fly in air, their wings are 
now adapted to "fly" in water.  The ocean is where their food is found.
Their bodies have evolved to move easily 
through water and their wings are used as rudders and 
propellers.  Being adapted to water and insulated from cold 
environments, their bodies are now too heavy to fly in air.  They are
the only bird to survive in extreme cold for long periods of time.

Steve Sample
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Hi Danielle
The penguins cannot fly because their wings are not
adapted for it.Instead of all the birds they are
the most fully adapted to swim and to stay in water
and in the extreme cold. As you say they are
flightless and clumsy when walking in land but are at
home in the water.
They come to land to breed, to lay their eggs and
to have their young.
Actually they are a beautiful example of species
adaptation.
Thanks for asking NEWTON
Mabel
(Dr. Mabel M. Rodrigues)
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Penguin wings have become adapted for swimming. They use their wings to "fly
underwater" much as other animals use flippers or fins.

J. Elliott
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Penguins cannot fly because they are so heavy!! Birds that can fly have very
special bones, ones that are hollow like a straw. This makes them very light
so they can fly. Penguins do not have hollow bones, there is no hole in the
center, so they are much to heavy to fly. Even though they cannot fly, they
are better at swimming underwater than most birds!

Grace Fields
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