Penguins Outpace Sea Lion in Surprise Beach Showdown

Neither sea lions nor king penguins are the speediest (or most graceful) creatures when it comes to hurrying up a beach. So, who would win a race? In this extraordinary YouTube clip from 2013, we can witness what looks like an aborted chase by a sea lion who chooses to give up on its pursuit of a penguin. Why does it do this, and what do we know about how penguins move on land? Read on for our analysis.

Sea Lion Diet and Locomotion

The southern sea lion (Otaria flavescens) is widely distributed around the Falkland Islands and likes to reside along shorelines and beaches. Adult males can weigh up to 770 pounds. They feed on fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, and other invertebrates but are also keen on penguins!

Penguins on the Falkland Islands

Penguins do not just live in the Polar Regions. The Falkland Islands, located in the South Atlantic Ocean around 300 miles off the Argentinian coast, is home to more than one million penguins who nest there every summer. Five penguin species can be seen there: King, Gentoo, Rockhopper, Magellanic, and Macaroni penguins.

This footage was captured at Volunteer Point located in the northeast of East Falkland. As you can see in the clip, it has a striking stretch of white sand and is home to the largest breeding group of king penguins in the islands.

King penguins are large birds; they can reach 35 inches in height and weigh 33 pounds. You can recognize them by the bright orange feathers on their necks. They are fantastic swimmers and divers and spend most of their lives at sea, where they hunt small fish and squid. Breeding, however, takes place on land where they are more vulnerable to attack by sea lions. This is when they have to move quickly!

King Penguin Locomotion on Land

On land, king penguins will either walk or slide on their bellies in a movement called tobogganing. In the clip, you can see a group of Gentoo penguins walking, while the king penguins being chased by the sea lion are tobogganing. The choice to walk or toboggan is partly influenced by the type of ground surface. On sand, penguins sink and cannot move forward quickly. In this situation, the penguins have decided that it is quicker to slide.

Things are not looking great for the penguins as the sea lion is gaining on them, but suddenly it gives up. This was not play; it was a genuine attempt at a kill, and it is likely that something (possibly the person filming) put the sea lion off the chase. It was a lucky day for the penguins!