| Aptenodytes forsteri | Taxon Id 100000 |
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iMAGEantarctica IA5092 Location: Auster Rookery Photographer: McVeigh, Doug Date: 2005 © Doug McVeigh 2005 |
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Taxonomy
| Source of taxon data | AAD |
Species Profile:
Taxon Biology
| Diet and Feeding Diet and feeding details |
Emperor penguins prey mainly on fish but krill and squid are also taken. Dive depths vary with season but on average the birds dive to 150-200 m. Dives to > 550 m were recorded. Most dives last 3 - 4 minutes. The longest dive ever recorded lasted 22 minutes. |
| Habitat Includes realm (e.g. Terrestrial etc) and climatic information (e.g. Boreal); also includes requirements and tolerances; horizontal and vertical distribution; |
Emperor penguins breed on the Antarctic sea-ice. Around 200,000 pairs breed annually in about 35 colonies around the Antarctic coast. These colonies tend to be located near the edge of the Antarctic continent where the seaice is more stable than close to the ocean. For the penguins that means long trips across the ice before they reach the packice where they can forage. |
| Reproduction Reproduction cues, strategies, restraints |
Emperor penguins are the only species of warm-blooded animals that breed during the Antarctic winter. Many anatomical, physiological and behavioural adaptations allow them to tolerate wind chill equivalent of temperatures to -60 C. |
| Breeding biology Reproduction including mating habits, habitat usage in breeding, duration of breeding. |
The single egg is incubated on the feet of the male who fasts for about 4 months, ie from the time the penguins arrive at the colony the female the time the chick hatches. The eggs are incubated for 65 - 75 days. The chicks are then brooded on the feet of their parents for another 50 days before they are able to regulate their own body temperature. It takes about 150 days to rear an Emperor penguin chick. |
Species belongs to the following lists - Follow link on List Name to see list of all species.
| Type | List Name | Description | Status | Basis of Record |
| Antarctic-wide | Antarctic Birds | The definite list of Antarctic birds with status on breeding, vagrant or visitor to the region. | Breeding | Observation |
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