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Story: Penguins

Porpoising

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Porpoising

Penguins are divers rather than fliers, but they still understand that air offers less resistance than water. When travelling at the surface, as opposed to chasing food, some species (including the Snares crested, shown here) commonly ‘fly’ out of the water at each thrust of their flippers, getting further than if they stayed in the water. This mode of travel is known as porpoising.

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by Lloyd Spencer Davis

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How to cite this page

Lloyd Spencer Davis, Penguins – The penguin history of New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6398/porpoising (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Lloyd Spencer Davis, published 2 March 2009.