These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show just why penguins have waddled into our hearts ...

Named Kairuku for a Maori word, the language of the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, that loosely translates to “diver who returns with food,” the penguins stood about 4 feet 2 inches tall ...

They determined that wing feathering is the main factor for generating thrust. Penguin wings, aka flippers, bear some resemblance to airplane wings covered with scaly feathers. To maximize ...