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Emperor Penguins
The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin
species and is native to Antarctica. They are the only penguin species
that breeds during the antarctic winter, during which air temperatures
may reach −40 °C!
In the cold winter months, emperor penguins trek 50 – 120 km over the
ice to breeding colonies, where they meet several thousands of other
penguins. Here they are far from the freezing sea water and protected
from the icy wind by ice cliffs. Within the masses, each penguin finds a
partner. As soon as the egg is laid it is passed to the male who
carefully balances it on his feet and then covers it with an abdominal
fold of skin. Almost immediately then, the female leaves the male and
joins other females from the colony as they make their way back to the
sea to feed up. The males are simply left "holding the baby" for up to
two months. Without the warmth and protection provided by the male's
body and the insulation provided by the feet, the chick inside the egg
would quickly die. Often the males will huddle in large groups for
protection against the icy winds and storms. They have no means of
obtaining food during this period and so they live on their resources of
fat. Movement is limited to a few careful steps (with the egg still
balanced on the feet).
The female remains at sea for about seven or eight weeks before
returning, well fed, to the colony. She is able to locate her mate
through a special vocalisation. With the female safely back with the
chick the male can now head weakly for the sea himself in order
to feed heavily and put on the numerous pounds he has lost during the
arduous period of incubation. The parents keep taking turns caring for
the chick until it is fully prepared to survive on its own.
To learn more about the reproductive cycle of emperor penguins, I
recommend watching
March of the emperor penguin!
