Penguins on a treadmill: study shows fat ones fall over more often than slim ones

Experiment found the heavier king penguins from Antarctica were not as good at waddling, but the extra weight helped them survive fasting while breeding

Fat king penguins are unsteady on their feet while waddling compared to their slimmer counterparts, but carrying a bit of extra weight comes with an important advantage when it comes to reproduction, biomechanics researchers say.

A research team led by Astrid Willener from the University of London's department of life sciences travelled to the subantarctic region of Antarctica to research the king penguin, which can grow up to 1m tall and up to 16kg, making it the second largest species of penguin behind the emperor.