Name: Muddy Penguins Get All Cleaned Up | Penguins: Meet the Family | BBC Earth
Uploaded: 2026-01-31T11:44:21.000Z
Duration: 3 min
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

This is just one of the many forest clearings where the penguins come to nest.

With no native land predators, New Zealand has always offered these flightless seabirds a sanctuary, a safe haven for rearing their young.

But there is one big disadvantage to forest living mud.

Thousands of tiny webbed feet turn the damp ground into a veritable quagmire.

This doesn't just result in a grubby appearance, it could threaten their lives.

A penguin's feathers are crucial for waterproofing and insulation.

If they're clogged with mud, penguins can't regulate their body temperature and could die from the cold.

It's time for a trip to the penguin bath.

After a thorough rinse, the penguins spread a very special wax through their feathers.

Produced in a gland at the base of the tail, it creates a waterproof barrier that insulates and streamlines.

The wax is also antimicrobial, deterring unwanted germs.

For some penguins, this process can take up to three hours a day.

But it's a price worth paying for their forest sanctuary.