Quick Take
- King penguin chicks look headless for a reason that has nothing to do with clumsiness, and the anatomy behind it is surprisingly extreme. Explore the extreme anatomy →
- Staying warm is only half the reason these chicks bury their heads. The other reason is one most people would never guess. Discover the surprising second reason →
- What looks like a quirky one-off photo is actually a survival behavior far more critical than it appears. See why this behavior is critical →
- Humans and penguins share the same type of neck bones, though the difference in quantity changes everything. Compare penguin and human necks →
Animals of all species do their best to stay warm in the cold. Penguins, although adapted to Antarctic environments, have their own unique ways of staying warm. One example is the king penguin, whose chicks tuck their heads so far into their fluffy feathers that they sometimes look headless. This Instagram post by @bwmphoto shows one chick doing just this. Read here to learn more.
King penguin chicks are covered in fluffy down feathers that help keep them warm.
©iStock.com/Alexey_Seafarer
How King Penguin Chicks Stay Warm
The photo linked above is a hilarious sight. In an effort to stay warm, a king penguin chick tucked its head deep into its fluffy feathers, creating an illusion that it is headless. While it might seem like a silly, one-time thing, this behavior is actually more common than you might think. These penguins have extremely flexible necks that allow them to fold deeply. As they tuck their heads into their bodies, their fluffy feathers help conceal them. This keeps them warm while making for a silly sight. Being flexible like this is common among most birds. While humans have seven neck vertebrae, penguins have 13 that allow them to bend and flex in many ways. This is how the chick in the photo above is able to hide its head in its feathers.
King penguin chicks do this for a few reasons. The primary reason is to stay warm. To reduce heat loss, burying their faces in their feathers protects the chicks from the cold and windy subantarctic environment. Another reason, which may be less obvious, is to sleep comfortably. King penguins often sleep while standing up. To make sleeping warmer and more comfortable, chicks may tuck their necks into their feathers. This behavior is far more important than it may seem and helps these chicks survive their harsh climate.
