Penguins!The Emperor Penguin
Quick Facts
• Scientific Name:–Aptenodytes
forsteri
• Lives in Antarctica
• Tallest and heaviest of all penguin species–48 inches–48 – 82 pounds
What it Looks Like• Males and females are
similar in size• Dorsal parts are black
and the belly is white, they usually have a pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches.
• Flightless, like all penguins: its body and wings are stiffened and flattened into flippers for marine lifestyle.
Emperor Penguin Diet• Mainly fish, but also
crustaceans and cephalopods.
• One of its feeding strategies is to dive to around 50 meters (164 feet), where it can easily spot fish swimming against the bottom surface of the sea-ice, making them easy to catch.
Predators• Mostly birds and
aquatic mammals– Southern Giant Petrel• Main bird predator,
this is responsible for up to 34% of chick deaths in some colonies.
– Leopard Seal• Attacks penguins
soon after they enter the water
– Orca• Attacks adult birds
Behavior• A very social animal• When they hunt they
coordinate their diving and surfacing, and can be active day or night.
• To defend against the cold, a colony of Emperor penguins will form a compact huddle, ranging from ten to several hundred birds, with each bird getting a turn on the inside and outside.