From Musing to Marvelling - Inroads into Understanding Penguins at Sea

Just 40 years ago, we mused about what penguins did at sea because so little was known about this part of their lives, other than their distribution, despite them being the most specialised bird for life in, and under, the ocean surface --- the quintessential ‘seabirds,’ known initially to Europeans as some sort of feathery fish. Advances in methods and technology have fundamentally changed that now. We discuss how we have advanced our approaches to the study of penguins at sea, what we have learnt about penguin behavioural ecology, and how it can help us understand how fickle prey and the cold, dark sea have shaped these birds to be the incredible creatures that they are. True ‘fish-birds.’ Penguins have ‘figured out’ how to use or cope with the incredible physical attributes of dwelling in water --- holding their breath, heat tax, buoyancy, propulsion and drag. Finally, we will muse over what are critical issues that we should address for the penguins of the future.

Introduction of our speaker. David Ainley has very impressive academic accomplishments in the study…