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Emperor Penguin

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                 iEmperor Penguin

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Sphenisciformes
   Family:  Spheniscidae
   Genus:   Aptenodytes
   Species: A. forsteri

                                Binomial name

   Aptenodytes forsteri
   Gray, 1844

   The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest
   of all living penguin species. It is the only penguin that breeds
   during the winter in Antarctica. Emperor Penguins eat mainly
   crustaceans (such as krill) but also occasionally indulge in small fish
   and squid. In the wild, Emperor Penguins typically live for 20 years,
   but some records indicate a maximum lifespan of around 40 years. The
   Emperor Penguin should not be confused with the closely related King
   Penguin or the Royal Penguin.

Physical characteristics

   Adults average about 0.75 metres (2 ft 9 in) and weigh 30 kilograms (75
   lb) or more. The largest individual was about 46 kg (102 lbs.). The
   head and wings are black, the abdomen white, back bluish grey, and the
   bill is purplish pink. On the sides of the neck, there are two golden
   circular stripes.

   Like the King Penguin counterpart, a male Emperor Penguin has an
   abdominal fold, the "brood pouch", between its legs and lower abdomen.

   The Emperor penguin has a thick coat of feathers that insulate the
   entire body, excluding only the legs.
   Emperor penguin chick
   Enlarge
   Emperor penguin chick

   Emperor penguin chicks are covered with a thick layer of light gray
   down. This covering ensures that they retain as much heat as possible,
   vital at this early stage when they are not capable of maintaining
   their body temperature. In addition, the infant emperor penguin's
   orbital area is covered in white downy feathers, unlike the all-black
   feathered head of the adult.

   A distinguishing characteristic between males and females is their
   call.

Ecology and behaviour

   Emperor Penguins, Ross Sea, Antarctica.
   Enlarge
   Emperor Penguins, Ross Sea, Antarctica.

   Emperor Penguins are social animals, both foraging and nesting in
   groups. In severe weather the penguins huddle together for protection.
   They may be active day or night. Sexually mature adults travel
   throughout most of the year between the nesting area and foraging areas
   in the ocean. From January to March, Emperor Penguins disperse into the
   oceans, traveling and foraging in groups.

   These penguins can dive 150 to 250 meters (490-820 feet) into the
   Southern Ocean. They can venture deeper, the deepest diving on record
   being 565 m (1870 ft). The longest they can hold their breath when
   underwater is 20 minutes. Their swimming speed is 6 km to 9 km per hour
   (4-6 mph), but they can achieve up to 19 km per hour (12 mph) in short
   bursts. One of their feeding strategies is to dive to about 50 meters,
   where they can easily spot sub-ice fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki
   swimming against the under surface of the sea-ice, which they then
   catch, dive again and repeat the sequence about half a dozen times
   before surfacing to breathe.

   On land they alternate between walking with a wobbling gait and sliding
   over the ice on their bellies, propelled by their feet and their
   flipper-like wings. During the beginning of the Antarctic winter, in
   March and April, all mature Emperor penguins travel to colonial nesting
   areas, often walking 50 to 120 km from the edge of the pack ice.
   Emperor penguin colony on the Weddell Sea
   Enlarge
   Emperor penguin colony on the Weddell Sea

   In response to the cold, emperor penguins stand in compact huddles
   ranging in size between ten and many hundreds of birds, each leaning
   forward on a neighbour. Those on the outside tend to face inward and
   push slowly forward. This produces a slow churning action, giving each
   bird a turn on the inside.
   Emperor penguin colony
   Enlarge
   Emperor penguin colony

   In the wild, Penguin predators include Antarctic giant petrels
   (Macronectes giganteus), Leopard seals, orca, skua, and sharks.
   Abandoned sled dogs and their progeny formerly preyed upon penguins
   before the removal of dogs from Antarctica.

Reproduction

   Emperor penguin feeding a chick
   Enlarge
   Emperor penguin feeding a chick

   Emperor Penguins first begin to breed at approximately five years of
   age. Emperor penguins travel about 90 km inland to reach the breeding
   site. In March or April, the penguins start courtship, when the
   temperature can be as low as -40 °C (-40 °F). Emperor penguins are
   serially monogamous. They have only one mate each year, and keep
   faithfully to that one other penguin, but each year, most choose
   different mates. In May or June, the female penguin lays one 450 gram
   (1 lb) egg, but at this point her nutritional reserves are exhausted
   and she must immediately return to the sea to feed. Very carefully, she
   transfers the egg to the male penguin, who will incubate the egg in his
   brood pouch for about 65 days consecutively without food by surviving
   on his fat reserves and spending the majority of the time sleeping to
   conserve energy. To survive the cold and wind (up to 200 km per hour,
   or 120 mph), the males huddle together, taking turns in the middle of
   the huddle. They can also be seen with their backs to the wind to
   conserve body heat. If the chick hatches before the mother's return,
   the father sits the chick on his feet and covers it with his pouch,
   feeding it a white milky substance produced by a gland in his
   esophagus.

   After about two months, the female returns. She finds her mate among
   the hundreds of fathers via his call and takes over caring for the
   chick, feeding it by regurgitating the food that she has stored in her
   stomach. The male then leaves to take his turn at sea. His trip will be
   slightly shorter than before, because the melting of ice in the summer
   will gradually decrease the distance between the breeding site and the
   open sea. After another few weeks, the male returns and both parents
   tend to the chick by keeping it off the ice and feeding it food from
   their stomachs. About two months after the egg hatches, as the weather
   becomes milder, the chicks huddle in a crèche for warmth and
   protection, still fed by their parents using the food from their
   stomachs.

   Eventually, both child and parents will return to the sea and spend the
   rest of the summer there to feed. At the end of the summer the whole
   inland trip will repeat itself, and all penguins at approximately five
   years or older will participate to breed, while the younger ones stay
   at sea until they are old enough.

Conservation status

   Estimates of the Emperor penguin population range from 150,000—200,000
   breeding pairs. The species is considered stable.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Penguin"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
