Pengwing

The Pengwing is a small predatory fauna species and the adult form of the Pengling.

Overview

Pengwing Egg

Appearance

The Pengwing has a furry body, white on the chest, and light blue on the back with yellow bands dividing them. Like many creatures on 4546B, it has two pairs of eyes, yellow in color with black pupils. Though unlike other creatures the eyes face different directions; the smaller pair is front-mounted, offering binocular vision and depth perception, whilst the larger pair is side-mounted, offering a much wider and rotational field of view.

About one third of the creature's height is made up by the huge beak atop its head. This beak opens horizontally rather than vertically, and rows of long black dental spines lie within. The beak is mostly black with a band of green and blue around halfway up. At the base of the beak on either side is a small, respiratory orifice.

There are two long flippers on either side of the body and two rectangular pads with leathery soles for their feet. Two serrated claws are seen on the foot pads, allowing the pengwing to grip the ice. The body ends with a thin black tail with a white band near the tip. The tail retracts when not swimming.

Behavior

Pengwings spend about half their time above water and the other half underwater. When above water, they stay on ice floats or other land areas with a large group of other Penglings and Pengwings and waddle around, occasionally stopping to stretch their wings and back. Pengwings can be seen diving headfirst into the water, at which point they will swim around hunting for food. Pengwings can be observed attacking and killing smaller fish while swimming.

Pengwings are defensive and will only attack the player if they see them pick up or attack a Pengling, or attack another Pengwing.

The weather can affect the behavior of Pengwings. During Blizzards, Pengwings and Penglings will huddle together for warmth, with the Pengwings making a ring around the Penglings. During an Electrical Storm, Pengwings and Penglings will jump into the water. They will actively avoid the surface until it ends.

If Pengwings are hit by Snowballs, they will shake their bodies.

Pengwings will eat fish in the player's hand.

Databank Entry

Bird-like creature, hunts small fish below the water, huddles in packs on the ice above.

• Consumes small prey fish and regurgitates them for its young
• Retractable tail and claws allow for fast evasion of predators underwater, and maximum grip on the ice
• Sharp teeth concealed inside the beak can tear chunks out of aggressors and prey alike
• Huddles in packs on the surface for protection against the cold

Assessment: Less cuddly than they look

Source: Scan Pengwings

Design

The Pengwing resembles earth penguins. It most closely resembles a king penguin or an emperor penguin but with more blue.

Sounds

• Barrel roll
• Call
• Catch fish
• Land death
• Water death
• Dive deep 1, 2, 3
• Dive shallow 1, 2, 3
• Dive up to land
• Short dive up to land
• Blink 1, 2, 3
• Land flinch 1, 2, 3
• Water flinch 1, 2, 3
• Walk on ice 1-8
• Slow walk 1-8
• Walk on snow 1-10
• Land hop 1-10
• Hop voice 1-7
• Hop wing flap
• Water idle 1A-5A, 1B-3B
• Get up on land
• Turn left/right on land
• Squeak 1-14
• Swim 1-7
• Fast swim 1-8
• Glide swim 1-3
• Waddle voice 1-7

Gallery

Side view

Front view

Back view

Top view

Bioluminescence

Size comparison to the player

A group of Pengwings and Penglings on an ice float

Pengwings in the Glacial Basin

A group of Pengwings on a ice float in the Arctic

A group of Pengwings on Delta Island

A Pengwing standing in a hot spring

A Pengwing swimming around the Shallow Twisty Bridges

A Pengwing swimming in the Sparse Arctic

Final Pengwing and Pengling 5 design - by Alex Ries

Pengling colour variants - by Alex Ries

Details on the Pengwing's foot design and movement - by Alex Ries

Early Pengwing design - by Alex Ries

Early Pengwing design - by Alex Ries

"Alien Penguin Version B" - by Alex Ries

Penguin 5 color variants - by Alex Ries

Very early Pengwing and Pengling design - by Pat Presley

Animation video

• Experimenting with a placeholder Pengwing model
• More experimentation with a placeholder Pengwing model

Adult Pengwing model on Sketchfab

Non-Subnautica art by Alex Ries (2012), appears to have inspired the penguin's mouth

Non-Subnautica alien bird art by Alex Ries (2016), has the same tail design as the Pengwing as well as the same color scheme.

A parent Pengwing and it's offspring in the cinematic trailer

Trivia

• The name "Pengwing" comes from the actor Benedict Cumberbatch's mispronunciation of the word "Penguin."