Printable sheet
Penguin sliding on ice in a knit hat and striped scarf, with snowflakes and snowy cabins behind. Download the free PDF and grab your crayons.
Printable sheet
Free for personal and educational use
Download PDFPrintA penguin in a pom-pom hat and striped scarf on a frozen pond, with pine trees, snowy cabins and large snowflakes.
Keep the ice pale with light blue strokes so the hat and scarf really pop.
Slide across the floor on a blanket like a penguin and see who goes farthest.
Penguins have no teeth: backward-pointing spines on the tongue and roof of the mouth help them grip slippery fish.
A penguin sliding on ice looks like pure play, but this belly-down move is one of the smartest tricks in the bird world. Researchers call it tobogganing, and it helps penguins cross snow and ice without wearing themselves out.
On land, penguins waddle. Their legs sit far back on a heavy body, so every short step burns energy. When the ground is smooth or slopes downhill, they flop onto their stomachs and push with their feet and flippers. It is faster than walking and much less tiring, a bit like riding a sled instead of hiking.
Lying flat also spreads their weight, so they are less likely to sink into soft snow. And if danger shows up, a quick slide can be the fastest way back to the group or into the water.
Adélie penguins in Antarctica are famous for it, often tobogganing long stretches between the ocean and the colonies where they raise their chicks. Clumsy on land and graceful in the sea, these birds have found a simple way to make winter travel a little easier. Watching a line of penguins zip downhill on their bellies is one of the most delightful sights in Antarctica, and wildlife filmmakers love to capture it.
