Some penguins commit suicide, walking away from the sea, alone, towards their doom

The so-called “Nihilist Penguin” has brought to attention one of nature’s most disturbing behaviors.

Penguins are resilient. Survive some of the most brutal conditions on Earth with a mix of resilience social and stubbornness. They are known for their large, and usually fierce, egos.

But sometimes a penguin just collapse. Instead of heading toward the nourishing sea with the rest of the colony, a lone bird turns in the opposite direction. He begins walking toward the vast, icy interior of the continent — away from food, away from his companions, and towards certain death.

But why?

For more than a decade, this behavior was a biological mystery niche. But in 2026, “the internet” became aware of the phenomenon of so-called “Nihilist Penguin“, which is now a viral icon.

For millions of people, this bird is not lost; is a mascot of the impulse of simply move away from the “noise”. The internet sees a hero who chooses the silence of the mountains instead of the chaos of the colony.

A biological realityhowever, is much more difficult to determine.

Geophysicist Mihai Andrei, founder of , scoured the scientific literature. Although there is a lot of information about disorientation in birds, there is a lack of peer-reviewed data regarding disorientation. “intentional” suicide of penguins. We do not have a confirmed mechanism or a solid theory.

Could it be a neurological failure? A rare form of avian depression? Or simply get lost and disoriented?

As far as researchers have been able to understand so far, these birds are not just lost. Even if we catch them and take them back to the colony, they turn around and head towards the white void again.

The video above is an excerpt from , a documentary by Werner Herzog focused on the people and animals of Antarctica, which It’s not your typical “cute penguin” movie.. It’s cruel and harshand addresses the darker side of penguin life.

Ultimately, we know very little about this extraordinary animal behavior. Hopefully, with more research, we can understand penguins and their mental afflictions a little better, concludes Andrei.