Our last visit with penguins is behind us now as we approach Montevideo, Uruguay.

But walking among thousands of them during the last three weeks has left numerous impressions of how special they are. So with apologies to Shea and the late, great Carlos, penguins are now our favorite animals.

They are marvels of Mother Nature that can live on land and water. In freezing wastelands and broiling islands. You know they most monogamous and caring parents who are not afraid to interact with humans.

My personal moment of Penguin Zen came at Punta Tombo, a tiny peninsula of Argentina where penguins waddle into the water and instantly turned – before my very eyes – into aquatic athletes. (I’ve posted some videos to try to show this transformation and their elegance in the water. I hope they work for you.)

We all know that penguins swim fast (22 mph); have a gland near the eye to desalinate sea water; have a gland near the end of their flappers that excretes oil to insulate their entire body from the cold sea water; live in large colonies called rookeries where they protect each other and have survived in harsh environments for millions of years.

Here are a few lesser-known talents penguins have:

Penguins can dive to depths of over 500 meters in search of food and hold their breath for several minutes. This extraordinary ability sets them apart from other birds, whose primary food sources lie within flight range.

Penguins possess exceptional vision, adapted for underwater hunting. Their eyes are adapted to see clearly both underwater and on land, with spherical lenses that allow them to focus well in dark, murky waters.

Penguin parents share in the task of incubating eggs, but in several species, the male takes on the more significant role, incubating the egg on his feet beneath a fold of skin called a "brood pouch" while the female forages for food.

Penguins communicate with a variety of vocalizations, from honks to brays, each serving a specific purpose, such as attracting mates or warding off rivals. What is especially remarkable is their ability to recognize individual calls within crowded colonies, despite the cacophony.

In some penguin species, males present females with stones as a form of courtship. The male will often present a carefully selected stone to the female as a gift, which she may use to build her nest.

Penguins often use a leaping technique to escape from predators like leopard seals or orcas that may be chasing or waiting for them. Bonnie saw this happen during our first penguins excursion on Magdalena Island. A sea lion was waiting to capture a small penguin as it returned to the shore.

To leap out of the water, penguins swim at high speeds, building momentum by using their powerful flippers. They use a technique called porpoising, where they leap out of the water in a series of arcs. They use the force of the water against their bodies to push themselves upward. They eject air bubbles from the water trapped in their feathers for added propulsion. Their flippers, which function like wings, allow them to steer briefly in mid-air, like a bird gliding.

The penguin Bonnie saw made are short, powerful flight lasting only a few seconds as it went over the sea lion and onto the shore. It was the scariest moment of her trip, but it ended happily ever after.