Unknown

Dataset Information

0

Coordinated movements prevent jamming in an Emperor penguin huddle.


ABSTRACT: For Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), huddling is the key to survival during the Antarctic winter. Penguins in a huddle are packed so tightly that individual movements become impossible, reminiscent of a jamming transition in compacted colloids. It is crucial, however, that the huddle structure is continuously reorganized to give each penguin a chance to spend sufficient time inside the huddle, compared with time spent on the periphery. Here we show that Emperor penguins move collectively in a highly coordinated manner to ensure mobility while at the same time keeping the huddle packed. Every 30-60 seconds, all penguins make small steps that travel as a wave through the entire huddle. Over time, these small movements lead to large-scale reorganization of the huddle. Our data show that the dynamics of penguin huddling is governed by intermittency and approach to kinetic arrest in striking analogy with inert non-equilibrium systems, including soft glasses and colloids.

SUBMITTER: Zitterbart DP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3106014 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

altmetric image

Publications

Coordinated movements prevent jamming in an Emperor penguin huddle.

Zitterbart Daniel P DP   Wienecke Barbara B   Butler James P JP   Fabry Ben B  

PloS one 20110601 6


For Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), huddling is the key to survival during the Antarctic winter. Penguins in a huddle are packed so tightly that individual movements become impossible, reminiscent of a jamming transition in compacted colloids. It is crucial, however, that the huddle structure is continuously reorganized to give each penguin a chance to spend sufficient time inside the huddle, compared with time spent on the periphery. Here we show that Emperor penguins move collectively  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

| PRJEB64484 | ENA
| S-EPMC4911614 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC9708836 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC9428539 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC9291047 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC2644125 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3325796 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC4633883 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC8400323 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3046112 | biostudies-other