Penguins!The Emperor Penguin

Quick Facts

• Scientific Name:–Aptenodytes

forsteri

• Lives in Antarctica

• Tallest and heaviest of all penguin species–48 inches–48 – 82 pounds

What it Looks Like• Males and females are

similar in size• Dorsal parts are black

and the belly is white, they usually have a pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches.

• Flightless, like all penguins: its body and wings are stiffened and flattened into flippers for marine lifestyle.

Emperor Penguin Diet• Mainly fish, but also

crustaceans and cephalopods.

• One of its feeding strategies is to dive to around 50 meters (164 feet), where it can easily spot fish swimming against the bottom surface of the sea-ice, making them easy to catch.

Predators• Mostly birds and

aquatic mammals– Southern Giant Petrel• Main bird predator,

this is responsible for up to 34% of chick deaths in some colonies.

– Leopard Seal• Attacks penguins

soon after they enter the water

– Orca• Attacks adult birds

Behavior• A very social animal• When they hunt they

coordinate their diving and surfacing, and can be active day or night.

• To defend against the cold, a colony of Emperor penguins will form a compact huddle, ranging from ten to several hundred birds, with each bird getting a turn on the inside and outside.