Their feet are webbed and positioned near the tail to aid in steering in water. Penguin bones are heavier than the air-filled skeletons of flying birds. On land, most penguins walk standing upright while some species toboggan on their stomachs, and yet others hop as a form of locomotion. Penguins have good hearing, little or no sense of smell, vision believed to be better suited for water than air, and a poorly developed sense of taste. Penguins are considered the most social of all birds.
Most species breed, travel, forage, migrate, and winter in groups.
Penguins can spend as much as 75 percent of their lives in water. Certain species can dive to depth of 900 feet and remain submerged for almost 20 minutes.