Why do we all like penguins so much? Maybe because, in some ways, they remind us of us.
As immortalized in cartoons, Penguins are great dancers, although they sometimes waddle around as if drunk. They are one of the few animals who stand erect, and some prehistoric penguins found in New Zealand 25 million years ago stood at nearly five feet tall. They were skinnier than our current penguins and were called Svelte penguins.
Penguins are still Svelte today; with their elegant black-tie markings, they look like they are always ready for a party. In fact, those markings serve to protect them, both above and below. Their black backs render them practically invisible to predators swimming above them as they blend in with the darkness of the ocean floor. Predators below also can't see them because the white on their bellies reflects the sky.