Penguins Poop on Zoo-Goers!

This is a tragic tale. People lining up to see giant pandas at the Edinburgh Zoo are getting pooped on by nearby penguins. The horror! Here is one person's experience:

We were queuing to see the pandas when a man in front shouted out in surprise that his jacket had been hit by a big dollop of penguin poo. 

"It just missed me and my family and it was really oily and stank of fish. It was disgusting. It looked like it would be really hard to clean off."
 

Beware, Koala Bears—the Avenging Narwhal Is on the Loose!!

Need a good gift? Harpoon the Avenging Narwhal playset! The idea is that there are WAY too many "cute" animal toys in the world today... and the Avenging Narwhal is going to solve that problem.

The narwhal uses its tusk to impale the cute animals of the world, specifically baby seals, baby penguins and koalas. This 5-1/2'' long, hard vinyl narwhal comes with four magic tusks (crystal, onyx, ruby and ice) to impale the three 1-1/2'' long, soft vinyl cuties. 

Now I get it! Wait— a narwhal is an Arctic mammal. What's it doing impaling koala bears?!

Do Penguins Poop into the Wind?

Here's some advice: Don't spit or pee into a strong wind. I thought of this while reading a scientific article on the way that penguins poop.

Titled “Pressures produced when penguins pooh”, it’s about how penguins shoot poop from their butts in a tight stream. Yes, penguins can rocket their butt mud for huge distances! This may be so that the penguin can poop without leaving its nest. Another reason:

All birds, penguins included, spend a considerable time preening and cleaning their feathers. It seems therefore that these birds propel their [poop] as far away as possible...lest they soil their plumage…It is interesting to note that the streaks of [poop] radiate from the edge of the nest into all directions. Whether the bird deliberately chooses the direction...or whether this depends on the direction from which the wind blows at the time of evacuation are questions that need to be addressed on another expedition to Antarctica.

In other words, the scientists don’t know whether penguins avoid pooping into the wind or not!