Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com 
Photo by Vladimir Blyufer on Pexels.com 
Photo by Vladimir Blyufer on Pexels.com
| Animal | Emperor Penguin |
| Scientific Name | Aptenodytes forsteri |
| Type | Birds |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Lifespan | 15 – 20 years |
| Size | 1.1 meters |
| Weight | Max 39.9 kg |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Conservation status | Least concern > Near threatened > Vulnerable > Endangered > Critically endangered > Extinct in the wild > Extinct |
At 114 centimeters, emperor penguins are the tallest species of all penguins. They spend all winter on an ice sheet, and, to keep from freezing, the penguins cluster together closely. Each penguin has a different call, which is how they call for their chicks. On land, they either slide on their stomach or walk and in the water, they swim.
Penguins are excellent swimmers. Using their feather coat, they can decrease the resistance of water. They trap the air in their feathers, causing bubbles. (View them swimming in this video).
Breeding is done in the winter on the ice sheet they spend winter on. One egg would be laid by the female. The male cares for the egg, protecting it with their pouches and carrying it with his feet, while the female goes to the sea to find food. The egg finally hatches in the spring once the female returns. Now, the male goes out to find food.
Chicks get fed by their mother regurgitating (bringing up food in the stomach to the mouth, similar to vomiting). If it weren’t for the mother keeping the chick warm in her pouch, the chick would die. The parents care for the chick until they return to the sea, but by then, the chick would already be mature.
Climate change and global warming are affecting penguins. When the earth warms up, their habitats are melting and winters get warmer. Food becomes scarcer as sea ice melts. Chicks get swept into the ocean more frequently and die.
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Referneces:
- Emperor Penguin on The Animal Files – https://www.theanimalfiles.com/birds/penguins/emperor_penguin.html
- Emperor Penguin on National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/e/emperor-penguin/
- Walsh M., 2012, Scientists solve mystery of penguins’ incredibly fast underwater swimming speed: a secret layer of bubbles on Daily News – https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/mystery-penguin-fast-swimming-discovered-article-1.1188268
- Emperor penguin on Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_penguin
- How Do Penguins Tell Each Other Apart? on Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/story/how-do-penguins-tell-each-other-apart
- Wolf S., 2009, Climate Change Threatens Penguins on Action Bio Science – https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/media-archive/Penguins_ActionBioscience_9-09.pdf
Animalia 