Fun-Loving Penguins: Unlikely Masters of Thievery and Play

"Stone-stealing by these playful masters of deception is a good entry into who penguins truly are. Penguins are amazing birds, but suffer from serious misleading myths because they look so goofy, waddling here and there, seemingly oblivious to what's going on around them. Few people get to see them in their natural homes, and I'm frequently asked to write something about these remarkable beings."

"Penguins are also hearty survivors, often living in harsh areas with highly accomplished predators. The Adélie penguins I was most fortunate to study at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, had to survive extreme, rapidly changing weather and the presence of aquatic predators such as killer whales, land predators such as leopard seals, which could also capture them in the water, and airborne South Polar Skuas. One common activity involves stealing stones from one another's nests to build or to reinforce their own."

"When I was with the penguins, it was the Antarctic summer with around 18 hours of sunlight and temperatures ranging from 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. An average day in the field could easily last 15 hours. We had to carry all the food, water, and clothes we would need for the day, plus more if bad weather rolled in and we got stuck out in the rookery through the evening."

Penguins exhibit individual personalities, varied appearances across species, and complex social behaviors such as stone-stealing to build or reinforce nests. Many penguins demonstrate high intelligence, strong emotions, and deceptive tactics during interactions. Same-sex pairs have been observed raising chicks. Adélie penguins at Cape Crozier endure extreme, rapidly changing weather and face aquatic predators like killer whales, land and water predators like leopard seals, and airborne skuas. Fieldwork in Antarctic summers involves long daylight hours, extended days in the rookeries, and logistical challenges including carrying supplies and living in basic huts without running water. Human intrusion threatens fragile penguin habitats.

Read at Psychology Today