Emperor Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri
Near ThreatenedFast Facts
About
The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguins and one of the few animals to breed during the depths of the Antarctic winter. It endures some of the harshest conditions on the planet, with temperatures plunging below minus 40 degrees Celsius.
Superbly streamlined, it is a master diver, propelling itself with stiff flipper-like wings in pursuit of fish and squid beneath the sea ice.
Behaviour
After the female lays a single egg, she returns to the sea while the male incubates it on his feet beneath a fold of skin for around two months, fasting the entire time. Thousands of males huddle together, constantly rotating position to share warmth.
Emperor penguins are extraordinary divers, reaching depths of over 500 metres and staying submerged for more than 20 minutes.
Did you know?
- Emperor penguins can dive deeper than any other bird, exceeding 500 metres
- Breeding males fast for over 100 days while incubating their egg through the polar winter
- Huddling colonies rotate so that each bird takes a turn in the warm centre
- Chicks are reared on sea ice far from open water, in total darkness for much of the winter
Distribution
Coastal Antarctica and the surrounding pack ice
