"One can't be angry when one looks at a penguin." - John Ruskin
There's no doubt it is easy to be smitten by these adorable tuxedo-wearing birds. Penguins are flightless aquatic creatures consisting of 18 species living entirely in the southern hemisphere. Aside from their swimming skills and monochrome plumage, we also praise these social creatures for their monogamous lifestyle and superior parenting. From living in the wild to idioms and films, we have collected penguin quotes below celebrating everything penguin.
Quick links to our selection of penguin quotes:
According to a study, penguins lost their ability to fly 60 million years ago and underwent a slow evolution2. Unlike other birds, penguins have dense bones and tight-knit feathers that allow some species, specifically the Emporer, to dive up to 1,500ft for more than 20 minutes. Since they live in harsh climate conditions, their layers of feathers and fat, compact bodies, short flippers, and feet have adapted for survival.
Even if they slowly evolved, they still made their way through our hearts. Read the penguin quotes below to learn more about these aquatic birds. And for a deeper dive into the penguin world, check out our penguin facts.
"Because penguins are so beloved, they are uniquely capable of teaching us about love for the natural world."
"Our wings serve as flippers that carry us across the ocean; not in the sky! Why, us penguins have so much fun time in the water, we don’t even want to fly!"
"Penguins are one of the best antidotes for despair that I know."
"Antarctica. You know, that giant continent at the bottom of the earth that’s ruled by penguins and seals."
"Take it all in all. I do not believe anybody on earth has a worse time than an Emperor penguin."
"Penguins are living lessons in caring for the earth and its creatures, in all their beauty and vulnerability."
Every breeding season, a penguin will only pursue, mate, and rear a chick with one other penguin. The probability of the couple returning together or going through a divorce for the next season will depend on the species, the timing of arrival at the breeding ground, and previous unsuccessful breeding. Despite being famous for their monogamous nature, numerous studies have long documented their extrapair copulation1.
Nevertheless, they are nature's model parents for taking turns in raising their offspring. For Emperor penguins, dads incubate the eggs while huddling together for two months without food, while the moms hunt for food which they store and regurgitate for the chick.
What do you think about the birds' relationship and parenting? Get others' insights from their penguin quotes below.
"Once a penguin finds its perfect other penguin, they stay together pretty much forever."
"Penguins are the really ideal example of monogamy."
"Penguins mate for life. Which doesn’t really surprise me that much, because they all look exactly alike. It’s not like they’re gonna meet a better looking penguin one day."
The flightless birds have also penetrated our language. For example, when a man wants to wear a penguin suit, he refers to the black and white tuxedo. In nature, the penguins' recognizable look is a camouflage technique called counter-shading which is also present in whales and sharks.
But chicks will first undergo an awkward transition before getting their dapper outfit. They molt and fully replace their fluffy white, black, or brown baby feathers at 10 to 12 months into their adult waterproof feathers.
Find the meaning behind other metaphorical penguin quotes below.
"No matter what I do with my life, or how successful I am, I will always be a socially awkward penguin inside."
"She smiled with the warmth of a penguin."
"I’m fortunate to know a lot of incredibly talented people, and they all want to be a penguin."
"All penguins are the same below the surface, which I think is as perfect an analogy as we’re likely to get for the futility of racism."
"They said you are a bird, and birds should soar high. So I spread my wings, and decided to touch the sky. Foolish me, for I am a penguin, and penguins can never fly."
Apart from their monochromatic look, penguins have charmed us through their awkward gait. With their rotund bodies and short legs, perfect for swimming and staying warm, they take small, energy-intensive, quick strides. That's why they also move by sliding on their bellies or tobogganing.
Even if they spend twice the metabolic energy as other similar-weight terrestrial animals, a study proves that they recover 80% of mechanical energy on each stride3. The penguins made necessary tradeoffs in their harsh habitats. Nonetheless, in actuality, their waddling made us love them even more!
Imagine a waddling penguin as you read the following funny penguin quotes.
"You can’t train a penguin to act. You kind of have to take what you get."
"If you think penguins are fat and waddle, you have never been attacked by one running at you in excess of 100 miles per hour."
"You can’t not be happy around penguins. You’re unfortunately happy and cold but the happiness makes up for the coldness."
"What's the two things they tell you are healthiest to eat? Chicken and fish. You know what you should do? Combine them, eat a penguin."
"I think penguins are the most human of all the birds, which may be why people love them. They're cute, they stand upright and they look like they're wearing tuxedos."
"It’s practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry."
Charming their way through our hearts, it's no wonder penguins have also dominated popular culture. In Tim Burton's Batman Returns, one of the most memorable on-screen characters of a penguin was Oswald Cobblepot. The performance of Danny Devito as the grotesque supervillain fighting Bruce Wayne or Batman lives permanently in my young mind.
On a lighter note, Mumble, the dancing penguin of the animated movie Happy Feet, taught us the lessons of acceptance and determination. The film also increased awareness of environmental issues like overfishing and plastic pollution.
Pick your favorite penguin movie, book, or show after reading the rest of the penguin quotes below. And next, read up on our ocean facts to learn more about their home and inspire conservation efforts.
"I may have saved the mayor's baby, but I refuse to save a mayor who stood by helpless as a baby, while Gotham City was ravaged by a disease that turned eagle scouts into crazed clowns and happy homemakers into catwomen!"
"Why is there always someone who brings eggs and tomatoes to a speech?"
"I am a man - I have a name - Oswald Cobblepot."
"If you want it, you must will it. If you will it, it will be yours."
"Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it."
| 1 | Schwartz, Michael & Boness, Daryl & Schaeff, Cathy & Majluf, Patricia & Perry, Elizabeth & Fleischera, Robert. (1999). Female-solicited extrapair matings in Humboldt penguins fail to produce extrapair fertilizations. Behavioral Ecology - BEHAV ECOL. 10. 242-250. 10.1093/beheco/10.3.242. |
| 2 | Cole, T.L., Zhou, C., Fang, M. et al. Genomic insights into the secondary aquatic transition of penguins. Nat Commun 13, 3912 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31508-9 |
| 3 | Griffin, T., Kram, R. Penguin waddling is not wasteful. Nature 408, 929 (2000). |
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