h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's been reported that penguins will fall over backwards if they
watch a plane flying overhead.

F'rinstance - If the penguin is facing north and a plane flies overhead from north to south, the penguin will watch the plane, craning it's head further and further back as the plane approaches. When the plane passes overhead and behind the penguin, the penguin will continue to track to the plane by moving it's head backwards until eventually losing it's balance.

This is all hearsay and I am trying to procure an airplane and a penguin in order to verify this report.

What if the penguin is standing on the South Pole?

sorry... after much research by several naturalists who went on a
moderately expensive trip to find out the answer once and for all,
...they found that the penguins were quite capable of falling over all by themselves and did not need the extra input from an aeroplane in order to do so. i read it on the bbc site so it must be true.
alec.