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Penguins are birds with black and white feathers and a funny waddle.  But unlike most birds, penguins are not able to fly -- in the air that is.  Penguins spend as much as 75% of their time underwater, searching for food in the ocean.  When they are in the water, they dive and flap their wings.  It looks just like they are flying!

Penguins are shaped like a torpedo.  Their body is built for the most efficient swimming with their average speed in the water being about 15 miles per hour.

 

Penguins will often do this to get a gulp of air before diving back down for fish.  Penguins cannot breathe underwater, though they are able to hold their breath for a long time.  They also use their ability to leap out of the water to get from the ocean onto land if there are cliffs or ice flows to deal with.

 

Just like whales, penguins have a layer of fat under their skin called "blubber".  Overtop of this they are covered with fluffy "down" feathers and overtop of those they have their outer feathers which overlap to seal in warmth.  Penguins rub oil from a gland onto their feathers to help make them waterproof and windproof.

 

Penguins eat seafood.  Their main diet is fish, though they'll also eat squid, small shrimplike animals called "krill"  and crustaceans.

 

When the chick hatches, it immediately starts calling so that its parents will learn to recognize its voice
 

Once the chick is strong enough, both parents head for the ocean at the same time.  The chicks are left in a group together (sort of like a daycare).  When the penguin parents return with dinner they recognize their chick by its voice.

Penguins are a food source for a number of marine mammals, especially leopard seals.  These seals hide under ice flows and wait for their prey.  Other marine mammal predators are sea lions and orcas.