When Penguins Get Plump
In case you’re wondering, penguins do have knees. The thing is you can’t see them hidden away under all their fluffy feathers. And in this guy’s case, under his big belly. The funny thing is penguins don’t even have particularly short legs. So why do penguins waddle? Scientists think penguins waddle because their legs evolved to help them swim more efficiently. And as a result, they’re set further back on the body than you might expect. It makes walking more difficult, and so the classic penguin waddle is the result.
Source: Wikimedia
By the way, penguins can dive really deep. They can go to depths of over 250 meters, but most dives will be within the top 10 meters of water. The deepest dive by a penguin ever recorded was by a female emperor penguin that dove to 535 meters below the surface!