Why the penguin does not fly: the opinion of modern scientists

Penguins are funny and slightly ridiculous birds. Adults and children with equal interest look at how a crowd of these "lackeys" rushes to the ocean! And with what incredible grace these creatures move under the water, hovering on their little wings! And then there is quite a fair question: "Why does not the penguin fly?" Let's try to highlight this problem in more detail.

Initially, scientists assumed that they do not fly just because they originated from non-flying ancestors. This opinion was promoted by the fact that the same cormorants are not bad flying and swimming, moving on their wings in two environments.

However, now this opinion was refuted. The fact is that scientists noticed one small detail, studying the photos of the penguin and its "companions". It turned out that the aforementioned cormorants can move equally badly in the air and in the water. The ability to fly in such "versatile" birds is inferior to that of the usual "lords of the sky," and the ability to swim is even more mediocre and can not be compared with the artistic ballet in the water of penguins.

It was then that scientists advanced the theory of evolutionary expediency: why do we need to fly, if it still turns out badly? Asking why the penguin does not fly, the researchers forgot about the real need for flight. After all, most representatives of this species live in very harsh conditions of the Antarctic. To survive in the hardest local winters, they have to store a huge amount of fat. Naturally, from an evolutionary point of view, this approach to survival is much more justified, since it allows the animal to spend a long time without food on the most difficult and cold winter days.

So, modern researchers have an excellent answer to the question of why the penguin does not fly: this species simply refused to fly in favor of more pressing needs. As you can see, these birds have not lost their way, having preserved their population and habitat.

However, science has many questions, compared to which the hypothetically flying penguin looks completely unimportant. Most of the problems are related to the ability to dive: the mechanism that allows large species to sink to an impressive depth is still unclear. So, the famous emperor penguin can dive for half a kilometer deep and stay there for 20 minutes!

The question is not only in the biochemical processes that allow a large and muscular "emperor" to dispense for a long time without air, but also in how such a large and to a large extent the terrestrial organism can withstand monstrous pressure differences and avoid caisson disease.

The latter is especially important. After all, people can not dive without protective equipment to a depth of 100 meters, and the immersion itself, together with the ascent to the surface, must be carried out for a short period of time. How does our hero deal with this? Scientists do not know yet ... So it's time to stop thinking about why the penguin does not fly. It is better to apply your mental faculties to solve more pressing and complex problems.