Video: The Physics Of Emperor Penguin Huddles
Emperor Penguin Huddle Like annoying (yeah, I said it) people at ball games, emperor penguins do the wave. Like so: The waves happen when the penguins huddle together, a behavior that helps them stay warm in an environment that can reach -50 degrees Celsius (-58 degrees Fahrenheit) with winds up to 200 kilometers per hour (about 120 mph). Thousands of individuals can gather together in a huddle. And once in a while, someone moves. That triggers shifts throughout the system that researchers see as waves. Now, a team of researchers from Germany and France has figured out the mathematics of these waves, as you do. Penguins react to the movements of the birds immediately around them, the researchers found. That is, a penguin will step forward when he sees the bird in front of him step forward. Meanwhile, that step entices the penguins behind him...