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Penguins exploit tidal currents for efficient navigation and opportunistic foraging
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Ken Yoda,
Margaret C. Crofoot,
Rory Wilson
PLOS Biology, Volume: 23, Issue: 7, Start page: e3002981
Swansea University Authors:
Mark Holton , Rory Wilson
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© 2025 Gunner et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1371/ journal.pbio.3002981
Abstract
Animals navigating in fluid environments often face forces from wind or water currents that challenge travel efficiency and route accuracy. We investigated how 27 Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) adapt their navigation strategies to return to their colony amid regional tidal ocean curre...
| Published in: | PLOS Biology |
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| ISSN: | 1545-7885 |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69974 |
| Abstract: |
Animals navigating in fluid environments often face forces from wind or water currents that challenge travel efficiency and route accuracy. We investigated how 27 Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) adapt their navigation strategies to return to their colony amid regional tidal ocean currents. Using GPS-enhanced dead-reckoning loggers and high-resolution ocean current data, we reconstructed penguin travel vectors during foraging trips to assess their responses to variable currents during their colony-bound movements. By integrating estimates of energy costs and prey pursuits, we found that birds balanced direct navigation with current-driven drift: in calm currents, they maintained precise line-of-sight headings to their colony. In stronger currents, they aligned their return with lateral flows, which increased travel distance, but at reduced energy costs, and provided them with increased foraging opportunities. Since the lateral tidal currents always reversed direction over the course of return paths, the penguins’ return paths were consistently S-shaped but still resulted in the birds returning efficiently to their colonies. These findings suggest that Magellanic penguins can sense current drift and use it to enhance energy efficiency by maintaining overall directional accuracy while capitalizing on foraging opportunities. |
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| Item Description: |
Short report |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
The funding for this work was supported by the National Agency for Science Promotion, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, Argentina (PICT2018-01480 to FQ). |
| Issue: |
7 |
| Start Page: |
e3002981 |