Question: Do penguins fall over backward when watching aircraft fly overhead? I read that two British scientists are in South Georgia in the south Atlantic to find out by studying the island's 400,000 king penguins. The story also said that an officer on the British ship transported the scientists said, “The penguins always look up at the helicopters and follow them all the way until they fall over backward.”

        Answer: “Our penguins are way too smart to fall for that,” smart mouthed Dave Oehler, head of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's aviculture department.

        “But yes, all that's true,” he says. “What the scientists are investigating are threats to penguins. And there are threats: pollution, changes in climate, introduced predators, contact with humans. Even in the most remote areas, there's increased shipping and oil drilling, and that brings increased air traffic.

        “We first heard of this falling over phenomenon when the British invaded the Falkland Islands. For fun, the pilots would fly up the coast, turn around and fly down the other way. The rock hoppers had never seen such a thing, so they were spooked and kept an eye on the aircraft. They'd watch, eventually lose their balance and fall over as they followed it overhead.

        “The real problem here is egg breakage. Penguins incubate eggs standing on their feet, so if they fall over, the egg may break or a chick may be dislodged from the nest.

        “My guess is the Brits are investigating how much that egg loss disturbs the colony overall.

        “That may sound off-the-wall, but it's worth looking at.”

        If you have a stupid question, send it to Ask a Stupid Question, Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati OH 45202; fax: (513) 768-8330.
       

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