IF YOU want to wake a king penguin, play footsie with it.
In a study of 120 king penguins, Gérard Dewasmes and his colleagues at
Picardie Jules Verne University in Amiens, France, found that it took 20 times
more weight on a sleeping penguin’s upper back than on its feet to wake it up
(Journal of Sleep Research, vol 9, p 255).
Ignoring pressure on their backs allows the birds to sleep while being bumped
by others in a colony. The birds incubate eggs and rear chicks on their feet, so
sensitive feet help them react to their…
