Emperor penguin, Cape Washington, Antarctica (© Steve Bloom Images/Alamy)
【January 20 2016】Most birds have hollow bones, which really helps if you want to fly. But penguins don’t fly, and hollow bones would spell trouble if you need to dive underwater to find fish to eat. Luckily, emperor penguins have solid bones, an adaptation which allows them to submerge to depths of 1,500 feet or more. Those solid bones also help their bodies cope with the immense underwater pressure of a deep ocean dive. Beyond that, their metabolic functions are uniquely adapted to the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, so while underwater, they use less oxygen, allowing them to stay below longer. But, as we can see, eventually they have to come up to the ice for air, generally leaping out of the water and tobogganing across the ice on their bellies. It may be routine for penguins, but we like to think the dramatic leaps and slides are all in celebration of Penguin Awareness Day today.Explore breathtaking Gallery from the HuluTrip homepage over the past 5 years..