By TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
September 16, 2016 at 11:00 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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Penguins don’t fly, and they characteristically waddle on land.
It is when they are submerged that they appear to “fly,” shooting through the water like torpedoes.
About 50 Humboldt penguins are reared at Yokohama Zoological Gardens, aka Zoorasia, in the city’s Asahi Ward.
The aquatic bird breeds in coastal Chile and Peru.
Growing to 65 to 70 centimeters, Humboldt penguins weigh about 4.5 kilograms. The flightless bird swims at a speed of about 2 kph, and is capable of traveling at a maximum speed of about 11 kph.
According to penguin keeper Tsunehisa Kurihara, 50, penguins can swim fast by reducing the drag of water with their spindle-shaped bodies and moving their flippers up and down to produce powerful propulsion.
Their flippers are so sturdy that they use them as weapons in fights with each other on shore.
With Kurihara’s help, a video camera was placed inside the 2.5-meter deep tank. The Humboldt penguins had been leisurely swimming near the surface for a while. But as soon as they appeared to feel the presence of a human being, the birds started swimming so violently that the camera was knocked over.
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