Emperor Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri · Bird
The largest penguin, over a metre tall and up to 45 kg, breeding on the stable sea ice along the Antarctic coast after a march of 50 to 120 km over the ice. Through the dark winter the male fasts for about 120 days, holding the single egg on his feet while the colony huddles against the storms. It dives over 500 m for fish, krill and squid; leopard seals and orcas take the adults. In July 1911 Wilson, Bowers and Cherry-Garrard crossed the Ross Ice Shelf in darkness at -40 °C to bring back three eggs from Cape Crozier for science, "the worst journey in the world".
- Danger
- Harmless
- How it is met
- In colonies, by day
- Size
- Medium
- In winter
- Active in winter
Where it lives
Sources
- Sarah Wilber, Aptenodytes forsteri (emperor penguin). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, 2020.
- Emperor penguin. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2026.
- Manchot empereur. Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre, 2026.
- The Worst Journey in the World. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2026.
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