Penguins are often portrayed as cute and cuddly creatures and are even personified in movies and cartoons. There are actually narratives where they work hand in (flipper) with humans to resolve the conflict in a film. That’s why it’s only normal for us to think that these unique birds may have a friendly nature.
Do they interact with humans? How do they perceive us in reality? Are they friendly to us? Let’s find out!
Here’s How Penguins Interact With Humans:
Generally, penguins just don’t care a lot about humans. Some will swarm your way in the wild if they feel a bit curious. Still, then almost all the time lose interest after they’ve quenched their curiosity. Some won’t even care and just walk past you. They are not as cheery as perceived and are very nonchalant towards humans.
They are not like dogs who are expressive about their feelings towards humans. The ones who’ve been born and raised in sanctuaries will, of course, be more accommodating to humans or a lot friendlier, especially to their handlers. They also don’t necessarily fear humans, as we’ll discuss in-depth in the following few sections.
How Do Penguins React to Humans?
Like many other animals, Penguins will only react to humans because of fear or interest. It turns out that penguins do not fear us, and also, they are not as interested in us as we are in them. The feeling is just not mutual.
Now, let’s discuss why. First, why don’t penguins perceive us as threats? There are a few reasons.
The first one is that they don’t have any known land predators. All of their predators swim in the oceans, which has been the status quo for eons now. They’ve gotten so comfortable and secure on land that nothing will ever make them feel fear on it.
Not us humans, that’s for sure.
The second reason is that it has always been in the DNA to not fear humans. Did you know that penguins’ ancestors are about 7 feet high? Imagine these giant penguins interacting with our ancestors. Our ancestors probably won’t even stand a chance.
The last reason is that penguins are so confident because they have a large colony to back them up in times of trouble. Penguins do a lot of things by committee. And yes, they even delegate.
They protect their eggs and young as a group, hunt as a group, and have assigned leaders. Imagine a group of at least a couple dozen penguins swarming you when they feel threatened? Not good, right?
As for the aspect of interest, you’d think that since they don’t see a lot of humans in their lifetime, they’d be curious about us, right? Not quite.
Penguins could care less about humans in a natural setting. Young penguins might get curious, but not many of them will be.
Do Penguins Think Humans Are Penguins?
No. Most animals don’t think that we are of the same species as them.
Of course, there are no concrete studies conducted to determine if that’s a fact, but evidence points out that dogs, for example, don’t think that we are dogs like them. And we believe that that applies to penguins too.
Another reason is that penguins are some of the most intelligent animals in the world.
Penguins have superb memory and, as mentioned, can successfully map out a colony with thousands of penguins in it. So, if they can identify one penguin from another, they can surely identify that you are indeed not penguin-like them.
Penguins are keen observers and will notice that you don’t do the thing that they do. In the wild, and when they see you observing them, you’re nothing but a strange-looking creature with your camera and gear.
You don’t smell like them, act like them, and don’t hunt with them. That’s how they’ll know that you are not a penguin.
Are Penguins Social With Humans?
As mentioned, penguins can be social with humans, but most of the time, they just choose not to.
Now, in zoos or ocean parks, can you hold a penguin? Well, you can, but if it’s unsupervised, you might either get hurt, or the penguin will just slip by you, and you won’t even get a chance.
Penguins are pretty social within their group. They are even some of the most romantic creatures on the planet, but they are not necessarily social with humans.
No, it’s not a good idea to keep them as pets. Once again, they are not like dogs and cats who are used to being domesticated. They are high-maintenance animals. They either need to be in their natural habitat or within an aquarium’s facilities.
Would a Penguin Attack a Human?
No, a penguin won’t necessarily attack a human when unprovoked. As mentioned, penguins don’t feel threatened by humans and are very nonchalant towards us.
Most of the time, animals attack humans or other animals when they feel threatened or are protecting their young. And since they don’t see us as a threat, then it’s only logical that they won’t attack us as well.
The most aggressive penguin species known is the Adelie penguin. These are some of the tiniest penguins on the planet, yet they are not the ones you may want to mess with.
Did you know that Adelie penguins don’t like it when their young or eggs are threatened? It’s not even self-defense anymore for the Adelie penguins. They will attack you and keep attacking you even if you’re no longer perceived as a threat.
That’s just how tough they are. So, better stay away, especially from their eggs.
When penguins do attack humans, please take note that they can inflict some damage. They have powerful beaks, with some species having hooked ones and can pierce a human’s skin.
They also have a solid body and sturdy wings that can deliver some pain. Not so cute anymore, aren’t they? However, as mentioned, penguins are not predisposed to attack humans overall.
Conclusion
With all of that being said, it sure feels like it’s a world owned by penguins, and we just happened to live in it. Penguins will interact with you if they want to at their own time and at their own pace.
They don’t behave the way they are necessarily portrayed in the movies. At the end of the day, penguins are birds, and they don’t get many chances to interact with humans, just like we don’t get a lot of chances to interact with them.
Common sense is in order if we’re going to anticipate how they deal with us. They will either entertain us for a bit or waddle away if they feel a bit threatened.
