Some of the current problems in Penguinology, at least as experienced in the studio, are discussed below. If you can provide any insight or direction for investigation, we would be most grateful.
Having been "up close and personal" with a fair share of penguins, I was somewhat taken aback when Ron Naveen repeatedly referred to their "star-shaped eyes" in his Waiting to Fly. A review of the penguin picture books on hand didn't provide any further insight. Then the Chinstrap on page 62 of Jonathan Chester's The Nature of Penguins almost knocked me flat; there were those "star-shaped eyes" right there in the picture! Once I knew what I was looking for, I could see hints of starry pupils in other pictures, but none are as clear as Chester's.
One outdated reference on the web suggested that Kings actually have square pupils, and another of Chester's pictures supports this. I could not find additional detail, however.
Does this mean that penguins have pentagonal pupils and if so, are they related to the birds' ability to focus both on land and underwater?
None of the glass eye companies make penguin eyes, which is actually not much of a surprise. The larger problem is that they also do not make clear glass eyes with NO pupil, in the approximate size of penguin eyes (16-20 mm). Any information about sources would be well received.
Related question: What color / shape / details are known about the eyes of emperors? Most photographers are working hard enough to show any eye at all; no pictures showing shading, detail, pupil, etc., have been found to date. Ditto for Adelies.
One ornithologist has told me that rockhopper's eyes are genetically red. However, the rockhoppers at the Indianapolis zoo have murky brown eyes, not unlike kings. These rockhoppers eat fish, rather than krill (cold-water shrimp), so it is possible that the red coloration is diet-based. The pink in flamigos, for example, is a function of their diet. Additional information would be appreciated.
One author suggested that penguins get their swimming power on the wing upstroke. If so, they would be the only animals who do so. Can anyone tell me more about the wing dynamics when these birds are swimming?