by Scott Schrage | University Communication
Call it the evolutionary march of the penguins.
More than 50 million years ago, the lovable tuxedoed birds began leaving their avian relatives at the shoreline by waddling to the water’s edge and taking a dive in the pursuit of seafood.
Webbed feet, flipper-like wings and unique feathers all helped penguins adapt to their underwater excursions. But new research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has shown that the evolution of diving is also in their blood, which optimized its capture and release of oxygen to ensure that penguins wouldn’t waste their breath while holding it.
Read more:
https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/waiting-to-exhale-penguin-hemoglobin-evolved-to-meet-oxygen-demands-of/