Going with the flow: how penguins use tides to travel and hunt
Richard Michael Gunner, Postdoctoral Researcher in Wildlife Biology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Poohsticks, the game in which Piglet and Winnie the Pooh throw sticks into the river from one side of a bridge, and then rush over to the other side to see whose stick appears first, is all about current flow. Disappointingly, neither Piglet nor Pooh mention fluid dynamics despite its pivotal importance in determining who won.
Unlike sticks, though, animals can respond to those flows. The movement of water and air – with their winds and currents – can affect flying and swimming animals...