Adélie penguins, Antarctica

Taking the plunge, one lesson at a time. World Teachers' Day

What can a 28-inch-tall bird teach us about life? Quite a lot. On World Teachers' Day, the Adélie penguin offers a lesson plan packed with resourcefulness, resilience, and a little mischief. Found along the Antarctic coast, the species was named after Adèle, the wife of French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, during the expedition that encountered the penguins in 1840.

Adélie penguins are famous for building nests from pebbles. Males collect stones to attract mates, but some also help themselves to pebbles from neighboring nests. Small but surprisingly feisty, they defend their territory with their flippers when challenged. When crossing snowy terrain, they have another clever trick: they lie on their bellies and slide across the ice, a move known as tobogganing.

In the water, Adélies are agile swimmers, reaching speeds of several miles per hour as they hunt for food or evade predators such as leopard seals. So, today's lesson? Adapt, stay determined, and, when necessary, go with the slide.