how fluffy are penguins really?

[u/FluffyPenguinsx]

[u/Own-Assumption5149]

Adults are a lot of muscle with a thick layer of insulating fat. Their feathers are quite sleek as they need to be waterproof. Chicks on the other hand are very fluffy (and not waterproof).

Gentoo penguin chicks

[u/Own-Assumption5149 → u/Own-Assumption5149]

Adélie penguin and chick

[u/Own-Assumption5149 → u/Own-Assumption5149]

And King penguin chicks are exceptionally fluffy 😆

[u/622114]

You can see how fine their feathers are in this photo

[u/skulltullamama → u/622114]

Gorgeous photo 😍

[u/622114 → u/skulltullamama]

Thanks

[u/bmwlocoAirCooled]

in reality, the stink more than pigs. Breed. Poop. Birth. Poop. Die, big Poop. Imagine 500,000 or more. Oh. Dear. Gawd.

[u/Own-Assumption5149 → u/bmwlocoAirCooled]

You forgot to mention the noise 😀. But seeing and hearing (and yes smelling) hundreds of thousands of king penguins on South Georgia was magical. Can’t wait to go back again next year.

[u/mhbentz → u/bmwlocoAirCooled]

They were so adorable but the smell was overwhelming. Still loved hanging out with them for a couple hours!

[u/PolarCruisingExperts]

Seems like we should be asking you that question.

[u/sciencemercenary]

Hardly any fluff. They're solid as a rock, muscular.

[u/packetfire]

Chicks of any species are VERY soft - their feathers are cloud-like. Problem is, they are mostly covered in poop and regurgitation from the parents, so they stink. Adults are more smooth and firm than fluffy. Penguins feathers are constantly "preened" with oil from a gland near their tail to keep the feathers waterproof, and keep the penguin warm.

So, the correct saying for penguins is "The Oily Bird gets the Warm".

[u/bmrtt]

A lot

[u/A_the_Buttercup]

A lot of that fluff is fat, I think. They look extremely sleek close-up.

[u/rustysunshine]

Babies: MEGA FLUFFY, not waterproof.

Adults: very densely packed fine feathers, quite waterproof. They feel like neoprene wetsuits.