The feathers work almost like a dry suit. Trapping a layer of air to insulate their bodies and keep them exceptionally warm, even as they swim into water that's below freezing temps.
They can't dive as deep though. Air is compressibly by the quickly increasing water pressure, so the cold will sap their body heat faster as a penguin dives deeper.
Fat isn't compressible, so seals don't suffer the same problem.
It died peacefully after a life that was longer and happier than average, surrounded by loved ones, and having come to terms with its mortality beforehand.
29 Comments
MacGuffin94@lemmy.world · 121 pts · 81d
I knew they were birds so of course they have feathers but for some reasons I thought they would look more like seals with lots of fat.
MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz · 78 pts · 81d
They have that too, but less of it.
The feathers work almost like a dry suit. Trapping a layer of air to insulate their bodies and keep them exceptionally warm, even as they swim into water that's below freezing temps.
They can't dive as deep though. Air is compressibly by the quickly increasing water pressure, so the cold will sap their body heat faster as a penguin dives deeper.
Fat isn't compressible, so seals don't suffer the same problem.
tryitout@infosec.pub · 63 pts · 81d
How disrespectful to yoga pants
trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 81d
It's true though, the pants can push it into a different shape, but not make it smaller.
DaTingGoBrrr@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 81d
If the water is bellow freezing temps wouldn't that mean that the water is ice? Or can it go bellow freezing in the ocean because of the salt?
MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 81d
Yes.
Ocean water can also be supercritical. You can find videos on youtube of under-ice water flash-freezing out from a nucleation site.
Nima@leminal.space · 51 pts · 81d
poor penguin =(
Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world · 44 pts · 81d
It died peacefully after a life that was longer and happier than average, surrounded by loved ones, and having come to terms with its mortality beforehand.
Opisek@piefed.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 81d
Thank you
20cello@lemmy.world · 44 pts · 81d
Did they hurt the penguin to get that sample?
Agent641@lemmy.world · 66 pts · 81d
His condition is stable
C8r9VwDUTeY3ZufQRYvq@sopuli.xyz · 34 pts · 81d
Death is the most stable condition.
FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 81d
Baseline obs haven't changed in a hundred years
jol@discuss.tchncs.de · 44 pts · 81d
This is a very old sample of penguin skin in a museum. But to answer your question, yes, they killed the bird.
AeroNaut@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 81d
Not before torturing him first. How else would he give up his insulating secrets.
xylol@leminal.space · 42 pts · 81d
Is it going to be OK?
turtlesareneat@piefed.ca · 46 pts · 81d
Yes they just borrowed its skin for a while, it was happy to be involved
brave_lemmywinks@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 81d
It would be interesting to know their internal temperature at -60°C ambient.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works · 32 pts · 81d
I bet the locals will give you looks coming all the way to Antarctica to put thermocouples up penguin butts, but hey, science.
trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world · 41 pts · 81d
The locals on Antarctica are all scientists. I'm sure they would understand.
SomethingBurger@jlai.lu · 3 pts · 81d
I'm pretty sure they are already doing it for fun anyway. The more the merrier!
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 17 pts · 81d
So the black coat is actually fluffy?
lightnsfw@reddthat.com · 9 pts · 81d
Hypothetically, how many penguins would one have to sneak out of the zoo in order to fashion themselves a penguin coat?
halloween_spookster@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 81d
Nice try Cruella
ramble81@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 81d
So do we have extreme weather gear based on similar principles and layout, or have we discovered a configuration that works better?
trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 81d
I think it would be too fragile for most purposes. Unless you can make missing feathers grow back like a living penguin it would wear out quite fast.
autriyo@feddit.org · 7 pts · 81d
Most wearable insulation works pretty similar, right?
Its a layer of air, trapped in some kind of matrix, so that it can't move, with some sort of inner and outer shell.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 81d
Not yet but hopefully soon because penguin coats are really expensive.
prex@aussie.zone · 4 pts · 81d
Ever Mr Burns has to make do with real gorilla chest: