Emperor Penguin | The emperor penguin is the largest species of penguin in the world with the average emperor penguin growing to around 120cm tall. The emperor penguin
is most well known for the bright yellow patch of feathers found on the
emperor penguin's chest. The emperor penguin is found in the deep
Antarctic with the emperor penguin rarely venturing too far
north. The emperor penguins live on the compact ice and small islands
around the South Pole and spend much of their time hunting in the
surrounding freezing water.
Emperor penguins are carnivorous birds and hunt fish, squid and crustaceans
such as shrimp and crabs. The emperor penguin is able to swim through
the water using it's wings but emperor penguins are one of the few
species of bird that cannot fly. When hunting, emperor penguins
are able to remain underwater for nearly 20 minutes and emperor penguins
are also able to dive to depths of over 500 meters. The emperor penguin
is the only animal that is able to withstand the Antarctic winter on
the open ice. The emperor penguins huddle together in enormous groups to
keep themselves warm and protected from the bitter winter elements.
Every year, the adult emperor penguins
make the same journey across the ice to get to their breeding grounds.
Emperor penguins walk between 50 km and 120 km to get to their breeding
grounds where the emperor penguin numbers are often in the thousands.
Unlike the breeding of most bird species which occurs in the spring, the
emperor penguin breeds in the winter. The female emperor penguin lays a
single egg which is transferred to a pouch above the male emperor penguin's feet. The female penguins then leave and head for the open ocean in search of food, leaving the male emperor penguins to brace the bitter winter and incubate their eggs. The baby emperor penguins hatch after about 2 months, with the female emperor penguins having returned with food for the chicks.
The emperor penguin chicks
are nurtured by the mother emperor penguins in their brood pouches for
about 2 months when the emperor penguin chicks are stronger. It is
essential for the survival of the emperor penguin chicks that
they are born when they are, so that they are strong enough to cope with
the water when the ice melts in the summer. Emperor penguins typically
live for around 20 years but some individuals have been known to be more
than 50 years old.
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