ENDANGERED PENGUINS

EMPEROR PENGUIN

Emperor Penguin - Aptenodytes forsteri

Emperor Penguin, the warriors of nature are considered the most beautiful of all penguins.

The largest of all penguins is known as the Emperor Penguin. The males and females are hard to distinguish as they are very similar is physical size. Adult Emperor Penguins can weigh from 50 to 100 pounds and be up to 48 inches tall. They back parts of the Emperor Penguins are black with a white front. They also feature bright splashes of yellow and orange on their breast region and their ears.

Emperor Penguin Habitat

The only place you will find the Emperor Penguin is in Antarctica. A great deal of research has been conducted to find out how they are able to survive in such harsh conditions. What we have found out is that they are able to manipulate their bodies in order to adapt to the environment. They can be completely functional at levels with low oxygen, they have solid bones, they can slow down their metabolism when necessary, and even shut down all non-essential bodily functions for a period of time.

Emperor Penguin Behavior

Emperor Penguins form extremely large colonies and that can make it hard to keep track of each other. They use a variety of unique vocal sounds in order to contact each other. There is still plenty we don’t understand about such forms of communication but we do know they are very valuable among the Emperor Penguins.

It is believed the vocalize on different frequencies which allows mates to hear each other as well as young and parents to communicate easily with each other. Many efforts of coordinated dives to reach food and then back to the surface have been observed and noted by researchers. Emperor Penguins take very good care of their young, and cater to their needs. Both males and females tend to help others in the colony to care for the young as well.

Emperor Penguin Conservation

In the wild, the average life span for an Emperor Penguin is 20 years. There aren’t any concerns at this time about its ability to survive. In fact, it is listed as the species of penguins least likely to end up endangered or extinct.

(source: google/http://www.penguins-world.com/)