Sealife guideThe king penguinAptenodytes patagonicus

Last updated on 08/23/2024 at 11:53 PM
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Taxonomy
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 !
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)
Emperor penguin
(Aptenodytes forsteri)
Within the same family
Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)
Adelie penguin
(Pygoscelis adeliae)
African penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
African penguin
(Spheniscus demersus)
Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus)
Chinstrap penguin
(Pygoscelis antarcticus)
Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus)
Galapagos penguin
(Spheniscus mendiculus)
Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua)
Gentoo penguin
(Pygoscelis papua)
Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)
Royal Penguin
(Eudyptes schlegeli)
Southern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)
Southern rockhopper penguin
(Eudyptes chrysocome)
Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes)
Yellow-eyed penguin
(Megadyptes antipodes)
Discover also
Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Atlantic puffin
(Fratercula arctica)
Australasian gannet (Morus serrator)
Australasian gannet
(Morus serrator)
Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Black-crowned night heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax)
Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)
Black-faced Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax fuscescens)
Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
Black-legged kittiwake
(Rissa tridactyla)
Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii)
Blue-footed booby
(Sula nebouxii)
Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Double-crested cormorant
(Phalacrocorax auritus)
Southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides)
Southern fulmar
(Fulmarus glacialoides)

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