Stone-stealing by these playful masters of deception is a good entry into who penguins truly are. Penguins are amazing birds, but suffer from serious misleading myths because they look so goofy, waddling here and there, seemingly oblivious to what’s going on around them. Few people get to see them in their natural homes, and I’m frequently asked to write something about these remarkable beings.

Of course, while there are variations among the different species of penguins, in a nutshell (or eggshell), penguins are extremely intelligent and highly emotional, and many are masters of trickery and deceit. They also display different rhythms of waddling and unique personalities, and do not all look alike. Same-sex couples also have been observed raising chicks.

Penguins are also hearty survivors, often living in harsh areas with highly accomplished predators. The Adélie penguins I was most fortunate to study at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica, had to survive extreme, rapidly changing weather and the presence of aquatic predators such as killer whales, land predators such as leopard seals, which could also capture them in the water, and airborne South Polar Skuas. One common activity involves stealing stones from one another’s nests to build or to reinforce their own.

When I was with the penguins, it was the Antarctic summer with around 18 hours of sunlight and temperatures ranging from 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. An average day in the field could easily last 15 hours. We had to carry all the food, water, and clothes we would need for the day, plus more if bad weather rolled in and we got stuck out in the rookery through the evening. At the site, three other researchers and I shared an 8-by-16-foot hut with no running water or electricity and an outhouse—which we jokingly called the honey bucket—that worked most of the time. Despite the difficulties, it was a wonderful experience.

Penguin personalities, play, and stone-stealing

The first thing I learned was that these small and unbelievably strong, hearty birds don’t all look the same. Over time, we could identify individuals by different patterns of black-and-white plumage, by scars, and by their waddle. We also recognized distinct personalities. Some penguins were bold, some shy, and some were frankly obnoxious individuals who continually make a nuisance of themselves. They’re also true survivors. I watched some of them leaping out of the Ross Sea, almost totally eviscerated by leopard seals or killer whales. A few survived for weeks after they were mauled, running around as if nothing had happened.

Many of the penguins also loved to play. They would sail down a sheet of ice we called the “penguin highway,” often plunging into the sea as if they were on sleds. Numerous times, penguins would sail down the highway into the water, waddle back to the top, and do it again. I wasn’t there to study play, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the penguins were simply enjoying themselves. There was no obvious reason to slide down and waddle up to the top of the highway and do it again, so maybe what looked like fun really was fun. Many other animals goof off and play just for the hell of it, like a fox that jumped up and down on a trampoline because it was enjoyable, while another chose not to do so. Play offers physical benefits in addition to psychological perks and can be a welcome relief to an otherwise challenging day.

Stone-stealing: Adélie penguins build nests made of stones. They vigorously defend their nests, and on more than one occasion, when I was counting eggs, I got hit in my shins with their bony wings and felt like they had nicked one of my bones.

Since stones are in short supply, penguins do what any parent might do—steal from other nests. I was very amused by their various stone-stealing strategies. These ranged from brazenly running in at full speed and scooping a stone in their bill to hanging around another penguin’s nest casually as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Then, when the other penguins were preoccupied, they’d run in and steal a stone. They also changed tactics depending on what the other penguins were doing: were they looking at the would-be thief, preoccupied with their chicks, or focused on another potential interloper? The same stone-stealing penguin would change their behavior in different contexts, clearly showing that they were aware of what their victim was doing.

Because of the countless hours I spent watching these ingenious birds, I got to know a few penguins up close and personal. While I can’t say exactly what these sentient individuals were thinking and feeling as they prepared to steal stones, it often looked like some combination of fun, greed, envy, and jealousy. Clearly, they were scheming and strategizing as they assessed the situation and adapted accordingly. Flexibility in behavior is used as a marker of consciousness and awareness. During our arduous days in the field, watching these sitcom-worthy episodes of stone-stealing provided wonderful comic relief.

I hope other researchers and people who have spent time watching wild penguins will share their stories of events about which little is known. One thing is for sure, and that is Adélie and other penguins are vastly more interesting than they’re often made out to be, and perhaps what we know and will learn about these birds will help save them from destructive human intrusions into their somewhat fragile and often remote homes.