Flying penguins found by BBC programme

To start with the topic of environment, I found this interesting piece of news...

Flying penguins found by BBC programme

By Neil Midgley, TV & Radio Editor 1:10PM BST 01 Apr 2014

The BBC will today screen remarkable footage of penguins flying as part of its new natural history series, Miracles of Evolution.

Camera crews discovered a colony of Adélie penguins while filming on King George Island, some 750 miles south of the Falkland Islands.

The programme is being presented by ex-Monty Python star Terry Jones, who said: "We'd been watching the penguins and filming them for days, without a hint of what was to come. But then the weather took a turn for the worse. It was quite amazing. Rather than getting together in a huddle to protect themselves from the cold, they did something quite unexpected, that no other penguins can do."

BBC1 viewers will see the penguins not only take flight from the Antarctic wastes, but fly thousands of miles to the Amazonian rainforest to find winter sun.

"The film reveals nature's stunning glory in exciting and unexpected ways, so much so that it defies belief," said Mr Jones.

"Not only does it create a vivid and emotional experience for the viewer, it also illustrates just how bold and simple Darwin's idea of natural selection was."

Classification-Life-Animals-Vertebrates-Birds-Sphenisciformes-Penguins-Flying Penguins

More Info: Flying penguins are a very recent addition to the penguin family in evolutionary terms. A few isolated species have evolved to make the most of their small wings, allowing them to migrate to warmer climes for the harsh Antarctic winter months. Elusive and secretive, these populations of penguin are extremely hard to locate in the rainforest and even seeing them fly on their migration is a rare experience. Little is yet known about just how these small birds survive flying over such vast distances, or why the anatomical differences they possess enable them to fly when other penguin families cannot.

Scientific name: Volatis

Rank: Genus

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think of this recent discovery? Did you ever expect to hear that penguins could fly?

2. What did you find most surprising about this article? Why?

3. What are some surprising things that other animals can do?

...HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!