The Emperor penguin is the largest penguin species in the world. This bird is a rather interesting species from a biological standpoint. The Emperor penguin has streamlined plumage, consisting of shiny, water-repellent feathers, which prevent the skin from getting wet. The webbed feet of the animal make swimming much easier. The head is big, the neck is short and thick, and the tail is wedge-shaped and short. The tiny wings of the penguin resemble flippers by their shape. The blackish-blue head is covered with large white and yellow markings on the ears of the animal. The upperparts are blue-grey while the underparts are white, except with the upper breast, having a pale yellow coloring. Males and females are alike.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
No
NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Mo
MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
Pi
PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
Se
SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
Al
AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Fl
Flightless birdFlightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species including the well known ratites (ostri...
Na
NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
No
NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Pu
Pursuit predatorPursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. Pursuit predators r...
Se
Serial monogamySerial monogamy is a mating system in which a pair bonds only for one breeding season.
So
SocialCo
ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
Mi
MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
E
starts withAr
Aristocrats
Emperor penguins occur in the Deep South, distributed along the coastline and throughout the compacted ice of the Antarctic continent. They almost always breed on stable pack ice near the coast and up to 18 km (11 mi) offshore. Breeding colonies are usually in areas where ice cliffs and icebergs provide some protection from the wind
These birds are non-migratory, living deep in the Southern Ocean throughout the year. Emperor penguins can be active at any time of the night and day. They are highly social birds, gathering in groups to forage and nest. They form large nesting colonies; if the weather is good and usually defend only small areas around them. When it gets too cold, the birds huddle together. Breeding adults have to constantly travel between the nesting and foraging areas all year round. When in water, Emperor penguins are excellent swimmers; when on land, they either walk with the identifying waddling gait or slide over the ice surface on their bellies, propelling themselves with their feet.
This penguin is a carnivore (piscivore and molluscivore), feeding exclusively upon aquatic animals. Their diet mainly consists of krill and fish, supplemented with squid and crustaceans.
The Emperor penguins have serially monogamous system, mating with only one mate during each season. In March-April, the birds return to their breeding colonies. The gestation period lasts for 63 days. Usually, a female penguin lays a single egg, leaving it to the male, and going out to sea. The male is responsible for keeping the egg warm, carrying it on his feet, and incubating the egg for 9 weeks. The hatching occurs after 70 days, which matches the return of the female. When the chick hatch out, the male leaves to forage, and this time the female has to care for the hatchling, feeding it and keeping it warm. The chicks of the Emperor penguin grow up quite rapidly. Reaching the age of 150 days, the young fledge. Male penguins start breeding at 5-6 years old while females - at 5 years of age.
Global warming negatively affects the population of these animals, decreasing the area of pack ice, which is the natural habitat of the Emperor penguins. Another concern is fishing vessels that sometimes accidentally catch these penguins in their nets.
The overall estimated population of these penguins is about 595,000 mature individuals. Despite the fact, that the total population of the Emperor penguin is presently stable, on the IUCN Red List the species is classified as Near Threatened.
Emperor penguins are an irreplaceable link in the ecosystem of their range. These birds consume various marine species such as small fish, cephalopods, or crustaceans. Besides, penguins are an important source of food for larger local predators, including leopard seals and large sharks.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...