---
title: "Midnight Musings: Do Penguins have Knees?"
description: "Do penguins have knees? [caption id=\"attachment_23818\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"620\"] Image Credit: Unknown[/caption] In short, the answer is yes, they do. Actually, a penguin's leg is not much different from our own. They have a femur, a tibia, a fibula, and (of course) knees. Penguins also actually have much longer legs than they appear too. The upper..."
date: "2014-05-21"
modified: "2014-05-21"
authors:
  - name: "Joshua Filmer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/joshuafqtq"
url: "https://futurism.com/midnight-musings-do-penguins-have-knees"
categories:
  - "From Quarks to Quasars"
---

# Midnight Musings: Do Penguins have Knees?

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/10372060_10202786531898608_4271794132735733329_n.jpg>)

Do penguins have knees?

[![Image Credit: Unknown](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Penguin-Standing-1024x768.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Penguin-Standing.jpg>)
*Image Credit: Unknown*

In short, the answer is yes, they do. Actually, a penguin's leg is not much different from our own. They have a femur, a tibia, a fibula, and (of course) knees. Penguins also actually have much longer legs than they appear too. The upper leg is covered by feathers because, well, if you lived in the Arctic, I'm pretty sure you'd want your thighs covered as well.

[![Those are penguin knees. Image Credit: Unknown](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/X-RAYS-KNEES-839x1024.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/X-RAYS-KNEES.jpg>)
*Those are penguin knees.*
*Image Credit: Unknown*

[![More penguin knees Image Credit: Unknown](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/X-RAY-KNEES-SIDE-VIEW-1024x839.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/X-RAY-KNEES-SIDE-VIEW.jpg>)
*More penguin knees*
*Image Credit: Unknown*

[![They look much taller this way! Image Credit: Unknown](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/PENGUIN-SKELETON-768x1024.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/PENGUIN-SKELETON.jpg>)
*They look much taller this way!*
*Image Credit: Unknown*

Images taken from [The Penguin Blog](<http://penguins.neaq.org/2010/07/faq-do-penguins-have-knees.html>) at the New England Aquarium

## Author
Joshua specializes in Mathematics and Physics at Portland State University.