What are facts about the emperor penguin?

Answer 1

· Emperor penguins are the largest of all the penguins. · Emperors live in the coldest climate on earth. == · . Temperatures can drop as low as -140 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 degrees Celsius) on the Antarctic ice. COMMON NAME: emperor penguin KINGDOM: Animalia PHYLUM: Chordata CLASS: Aves ORDER: Sphenisciformes FAMILY: Spheniscidae GENUS SPECIES: Aptenodytes forsteri DESCRIPTION:Largest of all living penguin species, the emperor penguin has a black head, chin, and throat, with broad yellow patches on each side of the head. SIZE: up to 112 cm (44 in.) WEIGHT:27-41 kg (60-90 lb.) DIET: Squids, fishes, and crustaceans INCUBATION: 62-66 days SEXUAL MATURITY: 5-6 years in males, 5 years in females LIFE SPAN: 20-25 years RANGE: Circumpolar on Antarctic continent HABITAT:Within the limits of pack ice POPULATION: GLOBAL 200,000 breeding pairs * Emperor penguins walk slowly and do not hop. The maximum walking speed for emperors is 2.8 kph (1.7mph). Emperor penguins are also known to toboggan - sliding across ice on their bellies. * Emperor penguins have been observed swimming 14.4 kph (8.9 mph), though they normally do not exceed 10.8 kph (6.7 mph). Emperor penguins breed annually during the Antarctic winter, June through August. During this time, air temperature may drop to -60°C (-76°F) and winds may reach up to 200 kph (124 mph). * Emperor penguins do not build nests. The male penguin stands upright and incubates a single egg on top of its feet under a loose fold of abdominal skin called a brood patch. The male fasts throughout the courtship, nesting, and incubation period. He lives off reserves of body fat which may be 3-4 cm (1.2 - 1.6 in.) thick, and loses up to 45% of his body weight. After the female transfers the egg, she goes to sea to feed while the male is incubating. She returns just before the egg is ready to hatch to relieve her mate. If the egg hatches before the female returns, the male is able to produce and secrete a curdlike substance from his esophagus to feed the chick. In 1980, a tiny emperor penguin made international zoological history. The chick was the first to be hatched and raised by its parents inside the Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld San Diego, then the world's only successful emperor penguin breeding facility outside of Antarctica. And in 1982, the first hand-raised emperor penguin hatched. Since then, more than 20 emperor penguins have been hatched and raised at SeaWorld San Diego.