The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 122 cm (48 in) in height and weighing from 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lb). The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches. Like all penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.
Description[]
Adult emperor penguins stand up to 110–130 cm (43–51 in) tall. The weight ranges from 22.7 to 45.4 kg (50 to 100 lb) and varies by sex, with males weighing more than females. It is the fifth heaviest living bird species, after only the larger varieties of ratite. The weight also varies by season, as both male and female penguins lose substantial mass while raising hatchlings and incubating their egg. A male emperor penguin must withstand the Antarctic cold for more than two months to protect his egg from extreme cold. During this entire time he doesn't eat anything. Most male penguins will lose about 12 kg (26 lb) while they wait for their chicks to hatch. The mean weight of males at the start of the breeding season is 38 kg (84 lb) and that of females is 29.5 kg (65 lb). After the breeding season this drops to 23 kg (51 lb) for both sexes.
Distribution[]
The emperor penguin has a circumpolar distribution in the Antarctic almost exclusively between the 66° and 77° south latitudes. It almost always breeds on stable pack ice near the coast and up to 18 km (11 mi) offshore. Breeding colonies are usually located in areas where ice cliffs and icebergs shelter them from the wind. Three land colonies have been reported: one (now disappeared) on a shingle spit at the Dion Islands on the Antarctic Peninsula, one on a headland at Taylor Glacier in the Australian Antarctic Territory, and most recently one at Amundsen Bay. Since 2009, a number of colonies have been reported on shelf ice rather than sea ice, in some cases moving to the shelf in years when sea ice forms late.
Behavior[]
The emperor penguin is a social animal in its nesting and its foraging behaviour; birds hunting together may coordinate their diving and surfacing. Individuals may be active day or night. A mature adult travels throughout most of the year between the nesting area and ocean foraging areas; the species disperses into the oceans from January to March.
An efficient swimmer, the emperor penguin exerts pressure with both its upward and downward strokes while swimming. The upward stroke works against buoyancy and helps maintain depth. Its average swimming speed is 6–9 km/h (4–6 mph). On land, the emperor penguin alternates between walking with a wobbling gait and tobogganing—sliding over the ice on its belly, propelled by its feet and wing-like flippers. Like all penguins, it is flightless. The emperor penguin is a very powerful bird. In one case, a crew of six men, trying to capture a single male penguin for a zoo collection, were repeatedly tossed around and knocked over before all of the men had to collectively tackle the bird, which weighs about half as much as human male.
Preferred Objects[]
- Shelter: Snow Cave
- Enrichment: Live Prey, Beach Ball, Ice Block
- Animal Food: Fish, Krill, Shrimp
| v · e · d |
|---|
| Animals |
| Basic |
| African Elephant - African Lion - Bald Eagle - Bengal Tiger - Cheetah - Chimpanzee - Duck-billed Platypus - Galapagos Tortoise - Giant Anteater - Giant Panda - Gray Wolf - Greater Flamingo - Grizzly Bear - Hippopotamus - Honey Badger - Komodo Dragon - Mountain Gorilla - Orangutan - Ostrich - Plains Zebra - Polar Bear - Red Kangaroo - Reticulated Giraffe - Saltwater Crocodile - Siberian Tiger - Superb Lyrebird - Thompson's Gazelle - Warthog - White-headed Capuchin - White Rhinoceros |
| Aquatic |
| Atlantic Giant Squid - Atlantic Sailfish - Australian Pelican - Beluga - Bottlenose Dolphin - Bull Shark - California Sea Lion - Emperor Penguin - Giant Pacific Octopus - Goliath Grouper - Great White Shark - Green Sea Turtle - Harp Seal - Japanese Spider Crab - Leatherback Sea Turtle - Lion's Mane Jellfish - Manta Ray - Marine Iguana - Mimic Octopus - Narwhal - Northern Elephant Seal - Orca - Sea Otter - Smooth Hammerhead Shark - Tiger Shark - Walrus - Wandering Albatross - West Indian Coelacanth - West Indian Manatee - Whale Shark |
| Extinct |
| Allosaurus - Ankylosaurus - Archelon - Archeopteryx - Brontosaurus - Carnotaurus - Ceratosaurus - Deinosuchus - Dodo - Dunkleosteus - Gigantopithecus - Glyptodon - Ichthyosaur - Megatherium - Moa - Oviraptor - Pachycephalosaurus - Parasaurolophus - Plesiosaurus - Quetzalcoatlus - Smilodon - Spinosaurus - Stegosaurus - Styracosaurus - Thylacine - Triceratops - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Velociraptor - Woolly Mammoth - Woolly Rhinoceros |
| Mythical |
| Ahool - Black Dog - Bunyip - Chupacabra - Death Worm - Dover Demon - Drop Bear - Eastern Dragon - El Cuero - European Dragon - Fiji Mermaid - Hodag - Jackalope - Jersey Devil - Kappa - Loch Ness Monster - Loveland Frogman - Manticore - Mokele-Mbembe - Mothman - Nightcrawler - Northwest Tree Octopus - Ogopogo - Phoenix - Sasquatch - Sea Monk - Sea Serpent - Thunderbird - Unicorn - Yeti |
| Characters |
| Zookeeper Zane - Cheeko |
| Types of Items |
| Buildings - Plants - Attractions - Paths - Fences - Decorations - Animal Food - Enrichment - Shelter (Exhibit) |
| Biomes |
| Alpine (Biome) - Boreal Forest (Biome) - Desert (Biome) - Open Ocean (Biome) - Plains (Biome) - Rainforest (Biome) - Reef (Biome) - Savanna (Biome) - Shore (Biome) - Swamp (Biome) - Temperate Forest (Biome) - Tundra (Biome) |
| Modes |
| Tutorial Mode - Task Mode - Sandbox Mode (Keeper Mode - God Mode) |