Watch These Adorable Penguins Play Video Games On The iPad…And Love It

Kids and their technology…

These adorable babies use an iPad for enrichment purposes. They get both mental and physical stimulation from it. Their iPad can also help with increasing their ability to be aware of their surroundings, hone their accuracy, and more. While they’re occupied with the games, it allows for their caretakers to get close and examine them for any possible health issues.

Oh, and they’re penguins.

The Maglellanic penguins at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, seem to really like an iPad app called Games for Cats. Despite the app being designed for cats, the fast-moving graphics also appeal to the plump aquatic birds. Aviculturalist Sara Mandel noticed that the penguins were reacting positively to the games. She found that while they’re playing, she can closely examine them, more so than before. Penguins are naturally skittish creatures, but it seems that the game distracts and relaxes them enough to let Mandel give them an examination.

Penguins are drawn to shiny, small objects, as these objects resemble the small fish and squid that penguins eat. Thus, the games are appealing to them, and seem to help them remain calm. The penguins’ reproductive rates also seemed to increase with the introduction of the iPad, suggesting an increased health rate. There may also be mental benefits from playing these kinds of games, although perhaps a game tailored specifically for penguins might be even better. Until then, it’s nice to know that you can, in fact, operate an iPad touch screen with a beak.

Here are some gratuitous penguin pictures just for fun:

Via Mental Floss