Emperor Penguins

The Emperor Penguin is the largest of all the penguins at just over 1 metre tall and up to 30 kg in weight. Males and females look very similar, with black cap, blue-grey neck, orange ear-patches and bills and yellow breasts.

To protect them from the cold they have a thick layer of fat under their skin, a dense layer of woolly down (fluffy feathers) and a layer of waterproof outer feathers.

Emperor Penguins assemble early in winter at breeding areas, shortly after the Antarctic sea ice has started to form. By the time the sea has frozen during the severe winter, the colonies may be up to 100 kms away from open sea.

Unless one of the pair has died, each penguin returns to the same partner. The female lays just 1 egg because it is too difficult to rear more than 1 chick in such a harsh environment.

Eggs are laid in winter, May - June, so that by the time the chicks hatch and grow it is the time when there is most food.
       
As soon as the female lays her egg, she passes it to the male and travels across the ice to spend the winter feeding at sea.

The male incubates the egg, positioning it on top of his feet, covering it with a specially warm fold of his skin and feathers. Incubation takes nearly 2 months, during which time he does not feed.

During the long sunless Antarctic winter, the males huddle together, sleeping to conserve energy because they are not feeding. They take it in turns to be in the middle of the huddle where it is warmer. In temperatures lower than -60C with winds of 180km per hour, the temperature in the centre of these huddles can be 20°C higher.

Chicks hatch out of the eggs in early September, the beginning of spring. Females return to change places with their mates. The chick is moved from the father's feet to the mother's. The move must be completed very quickly or the chick will die in the extreme cold. By this time the males have lost about one third of their body weight and now must travel up to 100 km across the ice to reach the open sea in order to feed.

Adults feed only their own chicks, recognising its distinctive call. Once they are about 7 weeks old, chicks join together in a crèche protected by a few adults. The chicks huddle together for warmth. By midsummer, they are independent and can look after themselves.

Emperor penguins can live more than 20 years, but many chicks do not survive. Large birds prey on eggs and chicks, and later when they go to sea, orca whales and leopard seals prey on them. If they survive long enough, the young are ready to breed at 4-8 years of age.

Go here to find out about other species of penguin found in the Antarctic

Links to more information about penguins:

Frequently asked questions about Penguins
http://www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/FAQs/FAQ.htm

Some facts about penguin bodies
http://www.pers.com/icelands/coolfacts/penguin_cool_facts_-_body/

How penguins keep warm
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica fact file/science/cold_penguins.htm

Brief information about each species of penguin
http://www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/species_notes/PENGNOTE.htm

Little Penguins of Australia & New Zealand
http://fp.thesalmons.org/lynn/penguin.html

Humboldt Penguin
http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_penguin.htm

Saving penguins caught in oil spills at sea
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214752/problems-2.html

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge the source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Emperor Penguins [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2001)

Updated August 2011 ©kidcyber