Common Name: Emperor Penguin
Scientific Name: Aptenodytes forsteri Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Sphenisciformes Family:Spheniscidae Genius: Aptenodytes Species: A. forsteri |  |
The Emperor Penguin is the largest of all penguins. They are about 4ft tall and weigh 70lbs and over. There are about 50,000 pairs of Emperor Penguins. Emperor Penguins live for 20 years, but some records indicate a maximum lifespan of around 40 years. The Emperor Penguins speed in the water is 6km to 9km per hour (4-6 mph), but they can achieve up to 19 km per hour (12 mph) in short bursts.
The Emperor Penguin belongs to the class of Aves, which includes all kinds of birds. Emperor Penguins are flightless birds, but even though they cannot fly they are still very good swimmers. The color of the Emperor Penguins head and wings are black, the abdomen is white. On the sides of the neck, there are two golden circular stripes. Like the King Penguin counterpart, a male Emperor Penguin has an abdominal fold, the “brood pouch,” between its legs and lower abdomen. Emperor Penguin baby chicks are covered with a thick layer of light gray down. The Emperor Penguins habitat is Antarctica. They live in the coldest climate on earth, on packed ice. Temperatures drop as low as -140 degrees Celsius. The Emperor Penguins keep themselves warm by a thick layer of blubber (fat) and by insulting down (feathers). The Emperor Penguin is not the only penguin who lives in Antarctica; the other penguins who live in Antarctica are the Adelies. Penguins live in four different continents in the world. Some penguins may also live in very warm places such as the Galapagos Islands near the equator. Emperor Penguins do have predators. Emperor Penguins are prayed upon by killer whales, leopard seals, sharks, giant petrels, and many more preditors. The most dangerous enemy of the Emperor Penguin is the leopard seal. The leopard seal eats about 15 penguins a day. Leopard seals normally eat the weak and the sick penguins. A healthy penguin can usually swim faster than a leopard seal. The Emperor Penguins begin to mate when they are 4 years old. They reproduce when they are approximately five years old. In May or June the female penguins lay one 450 gram (1 pound) egg. At this point her nutritional reserves are exhausted and she immediately returns to the sea to feed. The egg is then incubated or kept warm on the male’s feet by a thick fold of skin that hangs from the belly of the male. The male penguin manages to survive by standing huddled in groups for up to 9 weeks. The male may also lose about half his body weight because he does not eat. Once the egg hatches the female returns to care for the baby chick. Once the female returns, the male will tend to go to the open sea to feed. The male will be returning in a few weeks, and both male and female will tend to the baby chick by keeping it warm and feeding it food from their stomachs. After 7 weeks of care, the chicks form groups called crèches and huddle together for protection and warmth. They are still fed by their parents. The chicks know their parents by the sound of their call. Then finally, the chicks are fully grown in 6 months, which is the beginning of summer season in Antarctica. Emperor Penguins feed on crustaceans, such as krill, but also indulge in consuming fish and squid. That means that the Emperor Penguins are carnivores (meat-eaters) who hunt the sea. In Conclusion, I learned a lot about the Emperor Penguins. I learned how they reproduce, what they feed on, their predators, ecology importance, what class they belong in, and what family they belong in. I actually never knew that the Emperor Penguins had predators. It was fun learning about the Emperor Penguins. Author: Jazmin C. Date Published: April 2006 Sources: http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Horak/mpadaptations.htm http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0101/penguins2.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmperorPenguin http://www.nationalgeographic.com/crittercam/images/penguin-postcard.jpg http://www.rosssea.info/pix/big/Baby_Emperors.jpg http://bali.co.kr/zoo/images6/%C6%EB%CF22Emperor_Penguin.jpg http://www.mfat.govt.nz/foreign/antarctica/apuimages/images05/penguinfamily.jpg |