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Penguin feathers are so cool!
Apr. 7th, 2023 11:09 amDreamed last night that I got to touch a penguin and admire the way its feathers work. Then this morning I read an in depth study of actual penguin feathers! Thank you dream for inspiring me to look into this because it is very cool.
Hidden keys to survival: the type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers
There is a lot of talk in popular articles about penguins having the highest density of feathers of any kind of bird but it turns out when you do an actual count that this is WRONG. There are other kinds of seabird that have far more contour feathers (the kind of feathers that are visible on the outside of the plumage) than penguins! But! Emperor penguins, who are the ones looked at in this study, have far far more plumules than expected (a type of entirely floofy insulative feather that remain underneath the contour feathers), instead of just afterfeathers (a floofy bit that's attached at the bottom of contour feathers, so you have only one afterfeather per contour feather). They have four plumules for every contour feather!
The plumules do a great job of keeping the penguins insulated in their cold environment, but they also have another job, which is that teeny tiny bubbles of air held in them are expelled as the penguin dives, creating extra lubrication which makes them especially fast and efficient as they move through the water!
Also! feather density actually changes between seasons, not because they change number of feathers, but because penguins penguins eat lots and lots to prepare for breeding season, and then during breeding season they lose alllll that extra weight, so their surface area changes a lot. So their feather density is highest when their fat levels are the lowest, which helps to counteract the lack of insulation from not being fat!
ALSO they have been proven to have filoplumes, which are a type of feather that are teeny tiny and not very feathery looking at all, because they have a SPECIAL purpose of being sensory-detection systems for noticing if your feathers are out of arrangement, so that birds can preen themselves back to rights! On flying birds filoplumes are used to keep the flight feathers on the wings the way they're supposed to be. On penguins they're for keeping their contour feathers nicely overlapping so that everything is streamlined the way it needs to be! They have a filoplume for EVERY contour feather!
Anyway now I extra want to touch a penguin for real because wow their feathers are so neat.
BIRDS!!
Hidden keys to survival: the type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers
There is a lot of talk in popular articles about penguins having the highest density of feathers of any kind of bird but it turns out when you do an actual count that this is WRONG. There are other kinds of seabird that have far more contour feathers (the kind of feathers that are visible on the outside of the plumage) than penguins! But! Emperor penguins, who are the ones looked at in this study, have far far more plumules than expected (a type of entirely floofy insulative feather that remain underneath the contour feathers), instead of just afterfeathers (a floofy bit that's attached at the bottom of contour feathers, so you have only one afterfeather per contour feather). They have four plumules for every contour feather!
The plumules do a great job of keeping the penguins insulated in their cold environment, but they also have another job, which is that teeny tiny bubbles of air held in them are expelled as the penguin dives, creating extra lubrication which makes them especially fast and efficient as they move through the water!
Also! feather density actually changes between seasons, not because they change number of feathers, but because penguins penguins eat lots and lots to prepare for breeding season, and then during breeding season they lose alllll that extra weight, so their surface area changes a lot. So their feather density is highest when their fat levels are the lowest, which helps to counteract the lack of insulation from not being fat!
ALSO they have been proven to have filoplumes, which are a type of feather that are teeny tiny and not very feathery looking at all, because they have a SPECIAL purpose of being sensory-detection systems for noticing if your feathers are out of arrangement, so that birds can preen themselves back to rights! On flying birds filoplumes are used to keep the flight feathers on the wings the way they're supposed to be. On penguins they're for keeping their contour feathers nicely overlapping so that everything is streamlined the way it needs to be! They have a filoplume for EVERY contour feather!
Anyway now I extra want to touch a penguin for real because wow their feathers are so neat.
BIRDS!!
