Penguins prefer to eat sexually aroused jellyfish than fish and shrimps when they are hunting for food, a new study has shown.

Research conducted using cameras on the animals has revealed Adelie penguins target jellyfish with prominent genitals even when their traditionally preferred food of small shrimp-like crustaceans known as krill are available.

It is thought the reason behind the saucy snacking is the high carbon and protein content present in active sex glands.

Adelie penguin on glacial ice along the western Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean

Research was carried out on Adelie penguins (pictured) who had cameras strapped to them

The findings, revealed in a new publication by scientists from the French and Japanese national Antarctic programmes, come from research conducted by fitting penguins with tiny cameras to see what they got up to under the sea ice and was backed by conservation charity WWF.

The cameras weighed between 15g and 22g - less than an ounce - and were retrieved when the birds returned to the nest.

Footage filmed by the penguin cams was released last December when it became an internet sensation, WWF said.

Jean-Baptiste Thiebot from the National Institute of Polar Science, Japan, said: 'We were surprised to see the penguins go for jellyfish and it raised the question - is this new behaviour for Adelie penguins, possibly developed because they had a hard time finding food during this year of very unusual sea-ice conditions, or is it simply newly revealed by using this video approach to study their diet?

'To clarify this, we will need to see comparisons across different penguin species and different ocean regions.

'But these observations already reveal one more piece of the puzzle in the oceans' food web.'

Adelie penguins diving off an iceberg in Antarctica as research revealed they target jellyfish with prominent sex glands for a tasty meal

A waddle of Adelie penguins gather in the snow in Antarctica as waves crash into the ice

Adelie penguins on Petermann Island in the Antarctic Peninsula, who were studied by experts

Information gathered from the research is being used by the wildlife charity to help create marine protected areas around Antarctica, to protect species such as the Adelie penguin, which is affected by fishing in the region and climate.

Rod Downie, WWF polar programme manager, said: 'A year on from the release of the penguin cam footage, it's clear that we still have a lot to learn about Adelie penguins and other ice species.

'The results give us a better understanding of how they might respond to climate change and related shifts in the Antarctic food web.'