In memoriam. What's with puffins?

iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
16,018
5
0
Seriously. They scare me, has anyone else seen these birds? I used to go to the zoo with a buddy of mine (long passed away) and stare at these things. They fly like birds then "fly" underwater.

Nature freaks me out sometimes...
 

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
Well I'm no Steve Irwin: Crocodile Hunter but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
 

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
31,387
12,872
136
Originally posted by: FoBoT
they are like super penguins
LOL.

Their closest relatives were the Great Auks. Huge flightless birds like penguins. They even looked like penguins. A clear case of convergent evolution.
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
0
speaking of penguins: penguin mothers run in circles to test the strengh of their young. the baby that can't keep up doesn't get fed. it gets weaker and weaker and less likely to keep up and then starves to death. natural selection at its finest. another wonderful penguin thingy: when penguins want to go swimming, they crowd around the edge of the ice but try not to fall in. finally a penguin will get pushed in. then they all look over the edge to see if it gets eaten by a killer whale. if it survives, they all jump in. they may be the most evil creatures on earth.
 

OulOat

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2002
5,769
0
0
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
speaking of penguins: penguin mothers run in circles to test the strengh of their young. the baby that can't keep up doesn't get fed. it gets weaker and weaker and less likely to keep up and then starves to death. natural selection at its finest. another wonderful penguin thingy: when penguins want to go swimming, they crowd around the edge of the ice but try not to fall in. finally a penguin will get pushed in. then they all look over the edge to see if it gets eaten by a killer whale. if it survives, they all jump in. they may be the most evil creatures on earth.

LOL, that is so awesome
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,960
6,802
126
I love puffins. These oceanic birds have not only the obviously palagic (pelagic, sorry a typo, thanks)but an also almost benthic aspect to their livestyle.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0
What's with the 'memoriam'?

And, btw, moon...pelagic. ;) And just how deep can puffins swim?


Seems I remember a children's book that had a puffin on the cover, or was about a puffin...can't recall completely. It was always seemed somewhat odd...even eerie.