There are probably no creatures more universally loved than penguins; no creatures more instantly recognizable. From the plains of Arkansas to the headwaters of the Zambesi, people the world-over know penguins even though the vast majority have never seen a penguin and probably never will. But what do we really know about this animal that we have taken into our hearts if not our heads?
Penguins are in danger of becoming caricatures of themselves. The cartoonists have commandeered them as their icons for conformity and uniformity, for funny and awkward, for snow and ice. They walk like us. They swim like fish. They seem cute and cuddly. The reality, however, is that real penguins are not like that at all. They are surprisingly varied, remarkably agile, and they can be found living in deserts in some of the hottest climates of the world. Real penguins can be aggressive and their coats are stiff, unlike the fluffy coverings of toy penguins. Most of all, appearances to the contrary, they are neither mammals nor fish: Penguins are birds. Loyd Spencer Davis, "Smithsonian Q&A Penguins"
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Pinguine gegen die Probleme der Welt. In diesem Tierfilm gehen supersüße Pinguine zu superlustiger Musik auf eine superbeschwerliche Reise und werden dabei so naiv vermenschlicht, dass sich jedem Zoologen der Magen umdrehen dürfte. Dennoch gewann dieser Film 2006 den Oscar für den besten Dokumentarfilm ... einestages.spiegel.de /static /entry /der_preis_ist_dreist /41349 /pinguine_gegen_die_probleme_der_welt.html
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