Emperor penguins rocket through the water, but nobody knew how … until now.

Marine biologists recently unlocked the mystery to their speed: The stream of bubbles left in a penguin’s wake as it jet through the water is the key to its speed. Penguins can decrease the water resistance surrounding them with their coat of feathers. Birds can hold air in their feathers, but penguins specifically can trap air in their dense coat of feathers particularly well thanks to their miniscule filaments.
When penguins fluff these tiny feathers, they release bubbles that reduce the density of the water surrounding them. The bubbles act as layer of lubrication to reduce viscosity much like competitive swimsuits, reported National Geographic. Penguins would only be able to reach four or nine feet per second otherwise, but they can triple double or triple those speeds with this special bubble boost. Please no penguins in your above ground pool.