| @penguinflying: http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0841203.html
I hope that helps, and yeah lol this quiz fits your name quite well! The link explains that ratites have a flat breastbone with a bony plate, and no keel (the anchor that allows flying birds to use their big wings for flight). Penguins have a keel and lack the bony plate, because their evolutionary ancestors did, in fact, fly. But in Antarctica, there wasn't much need to fly as there weren't any significant land predators, so penguins evolved into swimming birds instead. The vestigial (now useless) wing became the flipper that penguins swim with now. Otherwise, the penguin still has the physiology for flight, besides the fact that it is (arguably) too fat (albeit to withstand the cold, lol). That's my understanding, but do check the link, it's got a very good explanation. |