User:Alastor Moody/Emperor Penguins

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Emperor Penguin

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Aptenodytes
Species: A. forsteri
Binomial name
Aptenodytes forsteri
Gray, 1844

The Emperor Penguin , also known as an Aptenodytes forsteri, is a spectacular bird that lives in the contient of Antartica. It is one of the largest diving birds on the planet. At an average 1.1 metres (3 ft 9 in) tall and 30 kilograms (75 lb) in weight, it is the tallest and heaviest of all known penguin species. It is also the only penguin known that breeds during the winter of Antarctica. Emperor Penguins' favorite diet is mainly krill, otherwise known as crustaceans. In addititon, emperor penguin also consume other seafood such as fish and small squid. In the wild, Emperor Penguins typically live for an average of 20 years, but some records indicate a record lifespan of around 40 years.

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[edit] Physical characteristics

[edit] Adult emperor penguins

An average adult penguin would average about 1.1 metres (3 ft 9 in) in height, and 30 kilograms (75 lb) or more in weight. The head and wings are black, the abdomen white, back bluish grey, bill purplish pink. On the sides of the neck, there are two golden circular stripes. The Emperor penguin has a unique thick fur coat that insulates their body heat from the freezing Antartic cold. In addition, every penguin has a distinguishing characteristical call between males and females.

[edit] Infant emperor penguins

A baby emperor penguin chick
A baby emperor penguin chick

Emperor penguin chicks are covered with a thick layer of light gray down. This covering ensures that they retain as much heat as possible, vital at this early stage when they are not capable of maintaining their body temperature. In addition, the infant emperor penguin's orbital area is covered in white downy feathers, unlike the all-black feathered head of the adult.

[edit] Ecology and behavior

Two Emperor Penguins at the Ross Sea, Antarctica.
Two Emperor Penguins at the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

Emperor Penguins are social animals, both foraging and nesting in groups. When a major blizzard or antartic storm would hit where the penguins' nesting grounds are, the penguins would then huddle together for protection and warmth. They may be active day or night. Most mature adult penguins travel throughout most of the year between the breeding grounds and foraging areas in the ocean. From January to March, Emperor Penguins disperse into the oceans, traveling and foraging in groups.

These penguins can dive 150 to 250 meters (490-820 feet) into the Southern Ocean. They can venture deeper, the deepest diving on record being 565 m (1870 ft). The longest they can hold their breath when underwater is 20 minutes. Their swimming speed is 6 km to 9 km per hour (4-6 mph), but they can achieve up to a maximum 19 km per hour (12 mph) in quick, short bursts. One of their feeding strategies is to dive to about 50 meters, from which depth they can easily spot sub-ice fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki swimming against the under surface of the sea-ice, which they then catch, dive again and repeat the sequence about half a dozen times before surfacing to breathe. On land they alternate between walking with a wobbling gait and sliding over the ice on their bellies, propelled by their feet and their flipper-like wings. During the beginning of the Antarctic winter, in March and April, all mature Emperor penguins travel to colonial nesting areas or breeding grounds to hatch and raise new penguin chicks. The journey from the ice edge to the nesting grounds are often about 50 to 120 km from the edge of the pack ice.

Emperor penguin colony on the Weddell Sea
Emperor penguin colony on the Weddell Sea

In its response to the cold, emperor penguins stand in compact huddles ranging in size between ten to countless numbers of birds estimated to be around thousands of birds, in one large huddle. Each penguin would then lean forward on a neighbor. Those on the outside tend to face inward and push slowly forward, while those on the inside would push out slowly for each penguin to take a chance to get in the center of the huddle. This produces a slow churning motion within the huddle.

Emperor penguin colony
Emperor penguin colony

In the wild, emperor penguins are usually attacked by predators that include Leopard seals, orca, skua, and sharks. But infant chicks are usually more terroized by an Antarctic giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) during the spring. Abandoned sled dogs and their progeny formerly preyed upon penguins and other animals before the removal of dogs from Antarctica.

[edit] Reproduction

Emperor penguin feeding a chick
Emperor penguin feeding a chick

Emperor Penguins first begin to breed at approximately five years of age when they reach their full size. Emperor penguins travel about 90 km inland to reach the breeding site. In March or April, the penguins start courtship, when the temperature can be as low as -40 degrees C (-40°F). Emperor penguins are serially monogamous. They have only one mate each year, and keep faithfully to that one other penguin, but each year, most choose different mates. In May or June, the female penguin lays one 450-gram (1 pound) egg, but at this point nearly all of her nutritional reserves are exhausted and she must immediately return to the sea to feed, if not the female penguin will die. Very carefully, she transfers the egg to the male penguin, who will incubate the egg in his brood pouch for about 125 days consecutively without food by surviving on his fat reserves and spending the majority of the time sleeping to conserve energy. To survive the cold and wind, the males huddle together, taking turns in the middle of the huddle. At times, a winter storm can have maximum winds up to 200 km per hour, or 120 mph, similar to a Category 3 tropical hurricane. If the chick hatches before the mother's return, the father sits the chick on his feet and covers it with his pouch, feeding it a white milky substance produced by a gland in his esophagus.

After about two months, the female returns. She finds her mate among the hundreds of fathers via his call and takes over caring for the chick, feeding it by regurgitating the food that she has stored in her stomach. The male then leaves to take his turn at sea. After another few weeks, the male returns and both parents tend to the chick by keeping it off the ice and feeding it food from their stomachs. About two months after the egg hatches, as the weather becomes milder, the chicks huddle in a crèche for warmth and protection, still fed by their parents using the food from their stomachs. in passing time as the chicks become more independent from their parents, they continue to explore more about the world. But in early summer or in late-November to early-December, the parents and the chicks part their ways. Within a few weeks, the chicks then also dive into the water.

[edit] Conservation status

Current estimates of the Emperor penguin population range from 150,000—200,000 breeding pairs.[1] As of 2006, the species is considered at a stable level.

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[edit] Trivia

  • In early and mid-20th century, the penguins were hunted for their fat, until nations across the world prohibited hunting of penguins. We must in sure their health by taking less and only sending a few boats
  • In 2005, the Emperor penguin was featured in the documentary film March of the Penguins.
  • The Emperor Penguin is also the species of penguin represented by the popular character Pondus, an image found on various paraphernalia in many retail stores throughout the country. Pondus originates in Danish children's books written and photographed by Ivar Myrhøj and published by publisher Lademann in the late 1960s. The character has received cult worship in Canada in the Naughties both for being without purpose and being an emperor penguin.

[edit] External links