So You Think You Can Dance

A real-life “happy feet” penguin has delighted tourists with his waddling dance on an Otago beach. The yellow-eyed penguin was snapped by South Island photographer Andrew Walmsley who was on a tour to view the usually shy birds. Walmsley said the penguin had just jumped out of the water after a full day of feeding and was preening himself on the beach. For such little creatures, avoiding predators is essential so he was keeping his eye on the shoreline for hungry sea lions, the photographer said. “They do some quite funny poses with their head going one way and their feet going the other, doing a bit of a shimmy.” Yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) are one of the world’s most threatened species.

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