Sealife guideThe king penguinAptenodytes patagonicus

Last updated on 08/23/2024 at 11:53 PM

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

Taxonomy

Common name: King penguin
French name: Manchot royal
Scientific name: Aptenodytes patagonicus (Miller, 1778)
Family name: Spheniscidae
Order name: Sphenisciformes
Class name: The sea birds

Description

The king penguin has a blue-black body with a white belly and very light orange markings on its head. The king penguin stands about 33 to 37 inches tall and weighs between 26 to 31 pounds.

The king penguin looks just like the emperor penguin !

It's difficult to distinguish females from males, as there is no notable difference in their appearance.

Geographic range

The king penguin is found in the Antarctic Ocean along the rocky coasts of the Kerguelen islands and Crozet islands, in the southern Atlantic Ocean on the Falkland islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, or in the Indian Ocean on Heard island and the McDonald islands.

Habitat

The king penguin lives on the rocky coasts of the southern Atlantic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean. Unlike other penguin species, the king penguin does not build a nest.

Diet

It feeds on squid and fish which it hunts to depths of around 656 feet.

Reproduction

Around November, the king penguin lays its egg on its feet, which is covered by a flap of skin to protect it from the cold. The egg is incubated by both parents alternately for 55 days, hatching into a chick that will remain nestled on its parents' feet for some time. The chick stays with its parents for about 11 months, after which it is mature enough to fend for itself.

Did you know ?

The king penguin is threatened by climate change, which affects its foraging area.

The king penguin is the second-largest penguin species in the world, after the emperor penguin.

The king penguin closely resembles the emperor penguin but it is distinguished by its smaller size.

The king penguin is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The king penguin appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Least Concern !

Within the same genus

Emperor penguin
(Aptenodytes forsteri)

Within the same family

Adelie penguin
(Pygoscelis adeliae)

African penguin
(Spheniscus demersus)

Chinstrap penguin
(Pygoscelis antarcticus)

Galapagos penguin
(Spheniscus mendiculus)

Gentoo penguin
(Pygoscelis papua)

Royal Penguin
(Eudyptes schlegeli)

Southern rockhopper penguin
(Eudyptes chrysocome)

Yellow-eyed penguin
(Megadyptes antipodes)

Discover also

Atlantic puffin
(Fratercula arctica)

Australasian gannet
(Morus serrator)

Blue-footed booby
(Sula nebouxii)

Common murre
(Uria aalge)

Tufted puffin
(Fratercula cirrhata)

Wandering albatross
(Diomedea exulans)

Waved albatross
(Phoebastria irrorata)

White-capped albatross
(Thalassarche cauta steadi)

Our latestUpdates

Friday, September 5th 2025

The bump-head sunfish

Learn about the bump-head sunfish (Mola alexandrini), the world's heaviest bony fish, its habitat in tropical and temperate oceans, diet of jellyfish, deep-water behavior and record size over 6,000 lbs.

Wednesday, September 3rd 2025

The chocolate chip sea cucumber

The chocolate chip sea cucumber has a massive cylindrical body that is beige in color, covered with a set of dark brown pustules resembling chocolate chips that protrude slightly from the surface, giving it a resemblance to a cookie, hence its french name. It can reach a length of about 12 inches when fully grown.

Monday, September 1st 2025

The red hind grouper

The red hind grouper has a distinctive appearance, usually beige to brown in color, with numerous red or brown spots covering its entire body and the base of its fins. It is often found in the shallow waters of coral reefs and rocky areas, where it hides in crevices and cavities.

Photo of the Day

Carangue coubali
(Caranx crysos)