Gentoo Penguin

[Mike Milicia]

I was fascinated by the spiky structures on the tongue and mouth of this gentoo penguin and thought others might find it interesting. I googled around a bit and, apparently, this type of thing is fairly common among seabirds, e.g. puffins and razorbills, as it allows them to better hold onto fish they have caught while they try to catch more. Any additional information or insight from any of the experts out there would be greatly appreciated!

EOS-1D X, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/1000, f/8, ISO 400
Very large crop ... about 12% of full frame

[Melissa Groo]

So cool to be able to see this, Mike, thanks for posting. Amazing sharpness and detail at that huge crop!!!

[John Chardine]

Indeed it is Mike. Many seabirds have these projections. They work well with small prey like krill, which Gentoos eat a lot of. The projections act like a one-way system for the food. As the bird takes one or more krill in a gulp it may go for more before the others have been completely swallowed. The projections lower the chances of losing food items that haven't made it down yet.