Penguins can fly!

March 31, 2008 11:13 PM

Penguins can fly. And a very happy Poisson d'Avril to you and yours.
posted by bigskyguy (24 comments total)

And it's a good thing, too, otherwise the Polar bears might get them.
posted by Jimbob at 11:19 PM on March 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Okay, THAT gullible I'm not.
posted by Naberius at 11:23 PM on March 31, 2008

That is amazing! Who knew?! I've seen that narrator before, but I can't quite place him.
posted by wsg at 11:32 PM on March 31, 2008

It's not even past midnight here yet, fucking cheaters.
posted by agentofselection at 11:34 PM on March 31, 2008

wsg, it's Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame.

And regardless of its status as an April Fool's joke, that video is simply stunning.
posted by ErWenn at 11:38 PM on March 31, 2008

live footage of them flying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI
posted by subaruwrx at 12:05 AM on April 1, 2008

I mean here
posted by subaruwrx at 12:06 AM on April 1, 2008

All joking aside, penguins are pretty fascinating creatures. Did you know that the male balances the egg on his feet to prevent it from freezing? Here, check it out.
posted by Meatbomb at 12:06 AM on April 1, 2008

Seriously... Rickrolling? And in an April Fools thread at that...

I totally fell for it.
posted by aheckler at 1:03 AM on April 1, 2008

Thanks, ErWenn. My fault. Sarcasm doesn't work on the internets, at least without an LOL or ;-)
posted by wsg at 2:47 AM on April 1, 2008

From today's Guardian:

Calling Carla: Brown enlists first lady to give Britain style

by Avril de Poisson
posted by roofus at 3:11 AM on April 1, 2008

I was impressed by how real the video looked. I was expecting it to go off into "haha, we'll show it's a joke with obviously fake animation" once the penguin got off the ground.
posted by Nattie at 4:21 AM on April 1, 2008

Kinda related: Flying kiwi (as seen previously on Metafilter).
posted by kisch mokusch at 4:36 AM on April 1, 2008

arg, such are the effects of climate change!
On BBC radio 4, an expert for the RSPB gave a talk about the harmful effects of these birds staying too long in their un natural habitats..
the Mirror and Daily Telegraph also reported on this.

For more ,,,
posted by insatiablehee at 5:12 AM on April 1, 2008

Reommended viewing on topic: Do Penguins Fly?
posted by uncle harold at 5:25 AM on April 1, 2008

This reminds me of one of my favourite New Yorker cartoons, which is also kind of a parable, if that's the right word.
It too shows a flying penguin, who shouts down to all of the puzzled and amazed fellow penguins below: "We just haven't been flapping them hard enough!"
posted by Flashman at 5:44 AM on April 1, 2008

Great, that made my girlfriend cry when she realized it wasn't real. Thanks, Telegraph and MeFi. Thanks a lot.
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas at 5:51 AM on April 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Damn, I wish that was real. Hopefully this will inspire someone to engineer some real flying penguins.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 6:10 AM on April 1, 2008

Damn, I wish that was real. Hopefully this will inspire someone to engineer some real flying penguins.

The problem is that flat-plate theory doesn't really apply to penguin aerodynamics. And with those fat wings they're not going to get anywhere close to the trans-sonic barrier.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:42 AM on April 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

This species of penguin developed the ability to fly in order to get away from the dreaded Hotheaded Naked Ice Borer.
posted by eye of newt at 7:51 AM on April 1, 2008

That animation was a lot of work for a joke. Good for them!
posted by Grod at 8:36 AM on April 1, 2008

That was a gorgeous video! I loved the scene with the penguins taking off, so well done!
posted by arcticwoman at 8:48 AM on April 1, 2008

Now I have to wonder how much of the most recent Planet series' were total CGI fabrications... the fluorescent jellyfish? the parasite wasps? the sleepy lizards?
posted by Molesome at 8:58 AM on April 1, 2008

That was awesome. And the Guardian got me. I'm a fool all right.
posted by tiny crocodile at 10:17 AM on April 1, 2008