Question: @Marisol how cant penguins not fly?

Marisol Collins answered on 15 Nov 2016:

Great question @VioletVW! I think the reason why penguins can’t fly is that they have simply adapted so much better to swimming than flying! Even though some birds can do both, I think it would be very difficult for a bird to be equally as good at both swimming and flying. If you think about where penguins live, in and by the sea in cold places, like Antarctica, and what they eat – fish, it is much better for them to adapt to swimming to catch their food. It’s really cold where they are, so their feathers, body shape and wings are perfect for getting on with their daily life, but conserving as much energy as possible in a cold climate. I read that scientists looking at the bones of penguins from millions of years ago found that they probably did once fly, but have adapted over time to swim instead. I’m sure @Michael can tell you much more about this!

Marisol 🙂