Much of the country has been dealing with colder-than-normal winter temperatures and above-average snowfall recently. While winter storm Fern may have had many of us humans bundled up under warm blankets, the penguins at the Pittsburgh Zoo seemed to hit the jackpot when the snow turned their habitat into a perfect winter playground.
The zoo shared a video of the penguins heading out for a snow day, and while we can’t say for sure whether penguins feel excitement, it certainly looks that way. Once outside, they pause and look around as if they can’t believe their luck before running, slipping, and sliding through the snow. Some even appear to try “swimming” through it. The entire scene is just too cute!
What a joy to see happy penguins playing in the snow! The Pittsburgh Zoo explained more in the caption. “Winter storm Fern drove Pittsburgh humans into hibernation when she roared into town on Sunday, upsetting routines and cranking thermostats.
The animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium weathered the storm well thanks to the care of our dedicated animal care staff.”
Related: Musician Playing the Guitar for Penguins Makes a New Best Friend
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Cute Comments About the Happy Penguins
The zoo’s video went viral, garnering more than 4.6 million views and thousands of comments. Commenter @Lauryn Irene got more than 26,000 likes when she said simply, “Animals are happiest in their natural habitats.”
@rex_n_ren pointed out, “Them trying to slide, but it’s fluffy snow and not icy snow has me LOLing!” Another commenter added, “Them trying to slide on their bellies is making me sad.”
“The penguins are trying to slide on their stomachs like, ‘Damnit, Charles, it’s not packed enough, keep flopping! We gotta pack it down!'” joked @Freyja. @Michelle Laurel added, “‘We WILL toboggan’ – the penguins probably…”
Commenter @Ryan said what the penguins were probably wondering, “Penguins: ‘Is this Heaven?’ ‘No, it’s Pittsburgh.'” Another commenter added, “The penguins are like little kids on a snow day!”
We laughed when @theory963 shared, “This is like letting a husky out in the snow. You’re never getting them back inside again.” We would’ve loved to see a video of that!
This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Feb 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.