Sealife guideThe emperor penguinAptenodytes forsteri

Last updated on 08/26/2024 at 05:46 PM

The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)

Taxonomy

English names Emperor penguin

French namesManchot empereur

Scientific nameAptenodytes forsteri (Gray, 1844)

FamilySpheniscidae

OrderSphenisciformes

Class

Description

The emperor penguin and the king penguin have a similar appearance, with the main difference being that the emperor penguin is slightly taller and notably, twice as heavy at 88 pounds compared to the king penguin. The emperor penguin stands about 3.3 feet tall

The emperor penguin is the largest penguin on the planet !

The emperor penguin has a lifespan of around 20 years !

Geographic range

The emperor penguin lives near the coasts of Australia on the ice floes and also near rocky shores.

Habitat

The emperor penguin lives on the ice floes.

Diet

The emperor penguin feeds on crustaceans, particularly small shrimp called krill, as well as squid and small fish. To dive underwater in search of food, the emperor penguin digs holes in the ice.

Reproduction

During the winter, the females lay an egg and hand it over to the males until it hatches. The males protect the egg from the cold using a patch of skin.

In the meantime, the females go off to feed. By the time the females return, the males have already lost half of their body weight.

It is then high time for the males, once the females have retrieved their chicks, to go off and feed. At around 8 months old, the young emperor penguins leave their parents.

Did you know ?

The emperor penguin can stay underwater for over 18 minutes without breathing.

Small group of young emperor penguins in Antarctica

The emperor penguin is the largest penguin species in the world.

The emperor penguin is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The emperor penguin appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Near Threatened !

Within the same genus