Emperor penguin food. Emperor penguin. Emperor penguin habitat. Reproduction and offspring

Emperor penguin- the largest and heaviest of the modern species of the penguin family. The average height is about 122 cm, and weight ranges between 22 and 45 kg. The head and back of the body are black, the abdominal part is white, becoming yellow towards the top. Like all penguins, emperor penguins cannot fly. Together with the king penguin, it belongs to the genus of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes). The specific Latin name is given in honor of the German scientist Johann Forster (1729-1798).

Appearance

Males emperor penguin reach a height of 130 cm and weigh on average 35-40 kg, but the maximum weight of a male can reach 50 kg. Females reach 114 cm in height and 32 kg in weight. This is the largest of all modern penguins. The emperor penguin's muscle mass is also the largest of any bird species (mainly due to its pectoral muscles). The plumage of the emperor penguin is black on the back and white on the chest, which makes it less noticeable to enemies in the water. They have a yellow-orange coloring under the neck and on the cheeks. The chicks are covered with white or grayish-white down.

History of the study

The emperor penguin was discovered by the Bellingshausen expedition of 1819-1822.

A significant contribution to the study of the emperor penguin was made by Robert Scott's Antarctic expedition of 1910-1913. when the group is from three people(including Adrian Wilson) went from the base at Cape Evans in McMurdo Sound to Cape Crozier, where they obtained several penguin eggs, which was important for studying the embryonic period of development of these birds.

Spreading

The emperor penguin travels furthest south of all penguin species. About 300 thousand individual emperor penguins live on ice floes around Antarctica, but migrate to the mainland to mate and hatch eggs.

Until 2009, it was believed that there were 34 of their colonies in the world. As a result of studying satellite images of Antarctica (LandSat Image Mosaic of Antarctica), scientists discovered 38 traces of droppings in the snow, which corresponds to 38 wintering sites, that is, the same number of colonies.

Nutrition

As a seabird, the emperor penguin hunts exclusively in the ocean. It feeds on fish, squid and krill. Emperor penguins hunt in groups. These groups swim straight into a school of fish and quickly attack their prey, pecking at everything that appears in front of them. They eat small prey directly in the water, and with larger prey they must swim to the surface to cut it up. When hunting, emperor penguins cover long distances, moving at a speed of 3-6 km/h and descending to a depth of 567 meters. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main guide when hunting is vision, and not hearing or echo sounder.

Lifestyle and behavior

Emperor penguin colonies are located in natural shelters: behind cliffs and large ice floes with the obligatory presence of areas open water. The largest colonies number up to ten thousand individuals. Emperor penguins often move lying on their bellies, using their paws and wings.

In order to keep warm, emperor penguins gather in dense groups, inside which the temperature can reach +35 degrees at an ambient temperature of −20 °C. At the same time, the penguins constantly move from the edge of the group to the center and back so that everyone is on an equal footing.

Emperor penguins spend about two months a year at sea, the rest of the time is spent procreating.

The emperor penguin, despite its proud appearance and name, is a very cautious and even timid bird. Many attempts to ring it were unsuccessful, because when potential danger approached, such panic began that the penguins ran away, abandoning their eggs and chicks.

Reproduction

Emperor penguins begin to breed in May - June, when temperatures in their habitats drop below −50 °C and winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. In connection with such weather conditions Emperor penguin chicks develop very slowly. Emperor penguin breeding colonies are located on coastal ice, occasionally on the continent. Colonies are located in places with the most favorable microclimate, protected from the winds blowing from the middle of the continent at this time of year, for example, among cliffs, glaciers or in uneven ice. But there should also be open ice holes, cracks, or areas of ice-free sea near the colony. This is necessary for birds to feed and feed their chicks. In severe frosts, penguins gather in close groups, unlike, for example, Adélie penguins, which keep warm in pairs in a strictly limited nesting territory.

Emperor penguins stay off the coast of Antarctica for about 10 months. The first birds appear on their nesting sites at the end of the Antarctic summer (mid-March to mid-April). Here the birds pair up, accompanying this process with screams and frequent fights. This is how a colony is formed. The maximum colony size is 10 thousand birds, the minimum is 300 birds.

Then the birds calm down, stand quietly in pairs during the day, and at night gather in groups, forming a “turtle”. In May-early June, the female lays a single egg, uses her beak to roll it onto her paws and cover it with a fold of skin on the underside of her abdomen, which is called the brood pouch. The appearance of the egg is accompanied by loud screams from the parents. Emperor penguin egg weight 450 g, size 12x9 cm; the average egg temperature is 31.4 C°. After a few hours, the male, who also has a brood pouch, takes care of the egg. The female, having fasted for 45-50 days, goes to the sea to feed. Males, in case of any deterioration in the weather, gather in dense groups - about 10 birds per 1 m², which helps preserve the life of future offspring. At the same time, approximately 4-8% of non-breeding individuals are present in the colony. The duration of incubation of an egg is 62-66 days, sometimes up to 100 days.

The females return from feeding and at the same time chicks emerge from the eggs. Each female finds her mate by voice. The males, having been hungry for 3 months and having lost 40% of their body weight, give them eggs or already hatched chicks and go off to feed themselves. The average weight of a hatched chick is 315 g. If the chick hatched before the female returned from the sea, then the father feeds it “milk” - a special juice that is produced by the penguin’s stomach and esophagus, or rather the esophageal gland. This juice contains a glycolipoprotein substance, which has about 28% fat and about 60% protein. The chick can survive on this food for several days. For about three weeks, the females feed the chicks with semi-digested food, krill and fish gruel, stored on a voyage by sea, and the same milk. At the age of five weeks, emperor penguin chicks no longer fit in the brood pouch and go to the so-called “kindergartens”, where they spend time huddled tightly together. Adult penguins protect them from attacks by predators - petrels and skuas. Parents find their chick among hundreds of others and feed only it. During this period, the chick can eat up to 6 kg of fish at a time. The period of feeding the chick ends in December - January, at the height of the Antarctic summer. The molting period lasts for 30-35 days, during which the birds do not eat anything, sit motionless and lose a lot of weight. The chicks will become capable of swimming only by January. Then adult and young birds go to sea until next spring.

Natural enemies

Emperor penguins have few enemies, and the natural age of these birds can be up to 25 years.

The only predators that kill adult emperor penguins in or near water are killer whales and leopard seals. On ice floes it sometimes happens that emperor penguin chicks become prey to skuas or giant petrels. It is the latter that poses the greatest danger, since it causes the death of up to a third of emperor penguin chicks. These birds pose no danger to adults.

He is a brave and courageous resident of Antarctica - the coldest place on our planet. This is the world record holder for resistance to cold. Here, on the Antarctic islands, these birds gather in colonies to procreate. There is ice, strong wind and only mountains of snow around.

The body is covered with dense short feathers and impregnated with water-repellent fat. That's why they don't freeze in terribly icy water.The back is black and blue, the belly is white. The thin long beak is decorated with an orange stripe. There are small yellow or orange comma-shaped spots on the neck.

The tail is short, and there are large claws on the hind legs, which help it stay on a slippery surface, especially when jumping out of the water onto the firmament. Its wings do not bend and are excellent assistants when diving and swimming in the water. The paws and tail serve as a rudder.

The height of the individual is from 118 cm to 128 cm, and its weight is up to 45 kg. Females are smaller than males in size and weight: height up to 115 cm, weight – 30 kg. They spend most of their lives in water, obtaining food. On land it seems clumsy: it moves funny and hastily, flapping its wings. They are all excellent swimmers and good hunters. But not every hunt is successful, and you have to spend a lot of effort and energy to eat.

The emperor penguin relies on its excellent eyesight, speed and virtuosity to swim. He flaps his flipper wings as if flying across the sky. Usually it swims at a speed of 5 - 10 km/h, but if necessary, it can accelerate to 25 km/h. Underwater it can survive without air for up to 15 minutes and dive to a depth of 200m. Comes to the surface of the water to take a breath. , and krill is the main food of the emperor penguin. If the prey is large, it comes out into the snow and eats it, but if it is small, it swallows it right in the water. Schools are pursued in groups in a coordinated manner, because attacking together has a higher chance of catching a catch.

They settle in colonies on the shores of Antarctica to procreate tens of kilometers from the sea. In April, thousands of them gather here. Males call females by screaming, sometimes such a “concert” can last several days. When the female, having chosen a male, approaches him, a pair has been created.

They will be together for several days, about 30 days, until the female lays one large white egg, weighing about 400 grams. About it important event a happy family informs its relatives with its cry. Can you imagine the noise, because there are many such couples and everyone is happy. Having gently rolled the treasure onto the male’s paws, the female goes into the icy waters to fatten up. Transferring an egg to a male is a whole ritual.

Dad flaps his wings, bows to the female and carefully touches and rolls wealth towards him with his beak, where it originated new life. A persistent and courageous father will warm and protect the egg on his paws, carefully covering it with his thick and warm fur coat-fold of his belly. The male accumulated 3 cm of fat to withstand three months of hunger strike for the sake of the life of his cub. Terrible winds are blowing, a blizzard is blowing, snow is swirling, the temperature drops to minus 60, but dads will withstand all this. To keep warm, they cuddle up to each other, standing in a circle and changing places. Those who were in the middle give way to those on the extremes, and vice versa. Sometimes males peck at snow - this is their only food.

It rarely happens that a very frightened penguin can throw an egg and run away. Of course, the embryo dies; just two minutes of cold is enough. And now, two months later, she returns, fattened and happy mom. She has accumulated a lot of fat to feed the future chick. Jumping out of the water onto the snow in one leap, she lets the male know with a cry that she is here. Again an incredible noise arises, but each couple will find each other.

The baby will hatch in two months, fluffy, light gray in color and asking for food. The weight of the newborn is 320 grams. Mom takes the offspring from dad to her, hiding him in her folds and sitting him on her paws. She feeds the cub with milk and semi-digested food, which she so diligently stocked up on. The emaciated and dirty father penguin trudges to the water to satisfy his hunger and get stronger. He will be back very soon to help feed the chick. The parents will take turns going to sea for prey and feeding themselves and the baby. In the noisy bustle, they will scream to look for “theirs,” making their way and jostling with other penguins. And so on day after day.

Five weeks will pass, the baby has grown and does not fit into the skin fold, well, it’s time to go to kindergarten. At seven weeks the baby gained 2.5 kg. It grows and gets stronger very quickly. Hobbling awkwardly, the little children gather in a tight circle, huddled close to each other, as their fathers once stood.Adults do not lose their vigilance and protect their chicks. You can't swim yet, their delicate fluff will quickly get wet and they will freeze. A small growing glutton can eat 6 kg of fish at one time.

Having reached the age of five months, babies no longer need the care and attention of their parents. Penguins are happy about the sun, warming themselves. And the kids slowly turn around to warm their whole body with the gentle sun. The plumage changes. Now adult children are also not afraid of the cold - they have accumulated a fat layer. All that's left is to dive into the water. The enemies of little penguins are petrels. They often peck the young.

A lot of time has passed since the penguin came out to this frozen land to procreate. From April to December, the colony lived in this place, and now they all leave it and go into the Arctic waters for two months of quiet life in order to prepare and gain strength for the future mating season. Emperor penguins live 25 years.

• Class – Birds
• Order – Penguin-like
• Family – Penguins
• Species – Emperor Penguin

Appearance

Male emperor penguins reach a height of 122 cm and weigh on average 35-40 kg, but the maximum weight of a male can reach 45 kg. Females reach 114 cm in height and 28-32 kg in weight. This is the largest of all modern penguins. The emperor penguin's muscle mass is also the largest of any bird species (mainly due to its pectoral muscles). The plumage of the emperor penguin is black on the back and white on the chest, which makes it less noticeable to enemies in the water. They have a yellow-orange coloring under the neck and on the cheeks. The chicks are covered with white or grayish-white down.

History of the study

The emperor penguin was discovered by the Bellingshausen expedition of 1819-1822.

A significant contribution to the study of the emperor penguin was made by Robert Scott's Antarctic expedition of 1910-1913. when a group of three people (including Adrian Wilson) went from a base at Cape Evans in McMurdo Sound to Cape Crozier, where they obtained several penguin eggs, which was important for studying the embryonic period of development of these birds.

Spreading

The emperor penguin travels furthest south of all penguin species. About 300 thousand individual emperor penguins live on ice floes around Antarctica, but migrate to the mainland to mate and hatch eggs.

Until 2009, the number of emperor penguin colonies was estimated at 34 colonies. As a result of studying satellite images of Antarctica (LandSat Image Mosaic of Antarctica), scientists discovered 38 traces of droppings in the snow, which corresponds to 38 wintering sites of colonies, that is, the same number of colonies.

Nutrition

As a seabird, the emperor penguin hunts exclusively at sea. It feeds on fish, squid and krill. Emperor penguins hunt in groups. These groups swim straight into a school of fish and quickly attack their prey, pecking at everything that appears in front of them. They eat small prey directly in the water, and with larger prey they must swim to the surface to cut it up. When hunting, emperor penguins travel long distances and reach speeds of up to 3-6 km/h and depths of up to 535 meters. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main guide when hunting is vision, and not hearing or echo sounder.

Lifestyle and behavior

Emperor penguin colonies are located in natural shelters: behind cliffs and large ice floes with the obligatory presence of areas of open water. The largest colonies number up to ten thousand individuals. Emperor penguins often move lying on their bellies, using their paws and wings.

In order to keep warm, emperor penguins gather in dense groups, inside which the temperature can reach +35 degrees at an ambient temperature of -20 °C. At the same time, the penguins constantly move from the edge of the group to the center and back so that everyone is on an equal footing.

Emperor penguins spend about two months a year at sea, the rest of the time is spent procreating.

The emperor penguin, despite its proud appearance and name, is a very cautious and even timid bird. Many attempts to ring it were unsuccessful, because when potential danger approached, such panic began that the penguins ran away, abandoning their eggs and chicks.

Reproduction

Emperor Penguin Egg

Emperor penguins with their chicks

Emperor penguins begin to breed in May - June, when temperatures in their habitats drop below −50 °C and winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. This is due to the fact that emperor penguin chicks develop very slowly. Breeding colonies of emperor penguins are located on coastal ice, occasionally on the continent. Colonies are located in places with the most favorable microclimate, protected from the winds blowing from the middle of the continent at this time of year, for example, among cliffs, glaciers or in uneven ice. But there should also be open holes, cracks, or areas of ice-free sea near the colony. This is necessary for birds to feed and feed their chicks. In severe frosts, penguins gather in close groups, unlike, for example, Adélie penguins, which keep warm in pairs in a strictly limited nesting territory.

Emperor penguins stay off the coast of Antarctica for about 10 months. The first birds appear on their nesting sites at the end of the Antarctic summer (mid-March to mid-April). Here the birds pair up, accompanying this process with screams and frequent fights. This is how a colony is formed. The maximum colony size is 10 thousand birds, the minimum is 300 birds.

Then the birds calm down, stand quietly in pairs during the day, and at night gather in groups, forming a “turtle”. In May-early June, the female lays a single egg, uses her beak to roll it onto her paws and cover it with a fold of skin on the underside of her abdomen, which is called the brood pouch. The appearance of the egg is accompanied by loud screams from the parents. Emperor penguin egg weight 450 g, size 12x9 cm; the average egg temperature is 31.4 C°. After a few hours, the male, who also has a brood pouch, takes care of the egg. The female, having fasted for 45-50 days, goes to the sea to feed. Males, in case of any deterioration in the weather, gather in dense groups - about 10 birds per 1 m², which helps preserve the life of future offspring. At the same time, approximately 4-8% of non-breeding individuals are present in the colony. The duration of incubation of an egg is 62-66 days, sometimes up to 100 days.

The females return from feeding and at the same time chicks emerge from the eggs. Each female finds her mate by voice. The males, having been hungry for 3 months and having lost 40% of their body weight, give them eggs or already hatched chicks and go off to feed themselves. The average weight of a hatched chick is 315 g. If the chick hatched before the female returned from the sea, then the father feeds it “milk” - a special juice that is produced by the penguin’s stomach and esophagus, or rather the esophageal gland. This juice contains a glycolipoprotein substance, which has about 28% fat and about 60% protein. The chick can survive on this food for several days. For about three weeks, the females feed the chicks with semi-digested food, krill and fish gruel, stored on a voyage by sea, and the same milk. At the age of five weeks, emperor penguin chicks no longer fit in the brood pouch and go to the so-called “kindergartens”, where they spend time huddled tightly together. Adult penguins protect them from attacks by predators - petrels and skuas. Parents find their chick among hundreds of others and feed only it. During this period, the chick can eat up to 6 kg of fish at a time. The period of feeding the chick ends in December - January, at the height of the Antarctic summer. The molting period lasts for 30-35 days, during which the birds do not eat anything, sit motionless and lose a lot of weight. The chicks will become capable of swimming only by January. Then adult and young birds go to sea until next spring.

Natural enemies

Emperor penguins have few enemies, and the natural age of these birds can be up to 25 years.

The only predators that kill adult emperor penguins in or near water are killer whales and leopard seals. On ice floes it sometimes happens that emperor penguin chicks become prey for skuas or giant petrels. It is the latter that poses the greatest danger, since it causes the death of up to a third of emperor penguin chicks. These birds pose no danger to adults.

Notes

Documentary

• "The Tale of the Penguins." Documentary. TsSDF (RTSSDF). 1958. 20 minutes.

Links

Wikimedia Foundation.

• 2010.
• Russian Women's Football Championship 1992

Nadezhda (football club, Noginsk)

See what "Emperor Penguin" is in other dictionaries:- (Aptenodytes forsteri), a bird of the order penguins (see PENGUINS); the largest (length up to 117 cm, weight up to 40 kg) and the most highly polar of the penguins. The emperor penguin was discovered by F. F. Bellingshausen (see Bellingshausen, Thaddeus Faddeevich). His… … encyclopedic Dictionary

emperor penguin- imperatoriškieji pingvinai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Aptenodytes rus. emperor penguin, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – pingvininiai siauresnis terminas – imperatoriškasis pingvinas siauresnis terminas –… … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

There are 18 species of penguins. In this article we will look at the main types of penguins with brief description. And in this article the life of penguins is described in more detail, since they basically have the same lifestyle and habits. Let's look at the distinctive features below.

The emperor penguin is the largest representative of the penguins. It can reach a height of up to 140 cm, and its weight can exceed 40 kg. Females are slightly smaller than males. It is distinguished by orange coloring on the neck and cheeks. Chicks are born with gray or white down. Emperor penguins are capable of diving to depths of about 500 meters. They hunt in groups.

An Emperor penguin egg hatches for 70-100 days. First the female sits on the egg, then the male replaces her. A penguin can sit on an egg for up to 50 days without eating. After being replaced by another penguin, the second parent goes to sea to hunt. They live on the continent of Antarctica.

Slightly smaller than Emperor penguins are King penguins. Their height is approximately 1 meter, and their weight ranges around 20 kg. They are distinguished from other penguins by bright orange spots on their cheeks and neck. King penguin chicks have brown down when they are born.

During the courtship dance, the male makes loud sounds and raises his head up so that the female can see orange spots, which indicate sexual maturity. When the female becomes interested in the penguin, they begin to dance together. Their heads go up and down, and then they put their heads on each other's necks. Mating lasts only up to 10 seconds, and the process of dancing and mating is repeated again.

A representative of this penguin species is quite small. The penguin's height reaches only 60 cm, and its body weight reaches 3 kg. This penguin is distinguished by a yellow stripe of feathers above its eyes, as well as protruding black feathers on its head, which create a shaggy effect. The penguin's eyes are red. Divided into the southern crested and northern crested penguins.

Medium sized penguin. Distinctive feature there are golden tufts of feathers above the eyes and on the head. At the same time, the black feathers do not stick out, only the gold ones. The height of such a penguin is approximately 70-80 cm, and its weight reaches 5-6 kg. The eggs hatch for 35 days. Also, parents replace each other during incubation.

The smallest member of the penguin family. The height of such penguins is usually up to 40 cm, and their weight is up to 1.5 kg. It differs in the color of the feathers on the back, wings and head - they are dark blue. This species of penguin has become famous for the most faithful relationships between penguin pairs. Sometimes loyalty lasts a lifetime. Little penguins live in the south of mainland Australia. While on sandy beaches, they can dig holes. Penguins dive shallowly - only up to 50 meters deep. The eggs hatch for 30-40 days. After 50-60 days, the chicks are ready for independent life.

A representative of this species is 70-80 cm tall and weighs up to 7 kg. Distinguished from other penguins by the yellow stripe around the eyes. The beak and paws are red. Unlike other penguins, they rarely form colonies. A very rare species of penguin. Their number is estimated at only about 4,000 pairs. The species is endangered. In 2004, for unknown reasons, 50-75% of all hatched chicks died.

It is also a representative of the medium-sized penguins. Height is 60-70 cm, and weight is approximately 7 kg. A distinctive feature of this penguin is the white ring of feathers around its eyes. They live a little over 10 years. Lives on the continent of Antarctica.

A bit close to Adelie penguins. Height is approximately 60-70 cm, but weight is smaller - up to about 5 kg. Distinguished by a white stripe of feathers on the head that extends from ear to ear. The male also incubates the eggs alternately with the female for about 35 days. It is this type of penguin that is capable of moving away from the coast into the open sea at distances of up to 1000 km. And they are capable of diving to a depth of 200-250 meters.

The Gentoo penguin is one of the largest penguin species. Its height reaches up to 90 cm, and its weight can reach 9 kg. Females are smaller than males. It is distinguished by a white patch of feathers near the eyes. They are record holders for swimming underwater. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 36 km/h! They dive to a depth of 200 meters.

It is a unique representative of the penguin species. And its uniqueness lies in its habitat. This is the only penguin species that lives just a few tens of kilometers from the equator. The air temperature there ranges from 19-28 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature is 22-25 degrees. The Galapagos penguins themselves are quite small. Their height is up to 50 centimeters and their weight is up to 2.5 kilograms. A stripe of white feathers runs from the neck to the eyes. Unfortunately, this species is endangered. There are only about 2,000 adult pairs.

Types of penguins video:

These penguins are also called Donkey penguin, African penguin or Black-footed penguin. Makes sounds very similar to the sounds of a donkey. Lives in the south of the continent of Africa. The height of penguins of this species ranges up to 70 cm, and their weight is approximately 5 kg. A distinctive feature of these penguins is a narrow black stripe on their belly in the shape of a horseshoe. Around the eyes there is a pattern similar to glasses.

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Squad - Penguin-like

Family - Penguins

Genus/Species - Aptenodytes forsteri

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Emperor penguin height: 112 cm.

Emperor penguin weight: 20-40 kg.

REPRODUCTION

Puberty: from 3-6 years.

Nesting period: usually from March to December.

Carrying: 1 per season.

Number of eggs: 1.

Incubation: 64-100 days.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: social birds; keep in colonies that number from 500 to 20,000 pairs.

Food: fish, cuttlefish, crustaceans.

Lifespan: 20 years.

RELATED SPECIES

The emperor penguin's closest relative is Aptenodytes pathogonica. It is smaller than the imperial one, and its plumage is slightly brighter.

An emperor penguin waddling or paddling across the ice is a fun sight to see. However, these birds are perfectly adapted to life in an aquatic environment; here they have no equal. Due to the slow development of their chicks, emperor penguins nest in the depths of the Arctic winter.

ENEMIES AND FOOD

Antarctica is home to approximately 150,000 emperor penguins. Only a few animals can survive in these harsh conditions, so penguins have few enemies. At sea or near the coast, only the killer whale is dangerous for adult penguins. On pack ice they are hunted by skuas, but they are dangerous primarily for chicks. About 3/4 of the chicks die from attacks by skuas. Skuas attack mainly single chicks, so the formation of a kind of “nursery” reduces the number of dead babies. Adult penguins feed on crustaceans, marine fish and cephalopods.

WHERE THE EMPEROR PENGUIN LIVES

Emperor penguins live on pack ice off the coast of Antarctica and nearby seas. With their slowness, ceremony, and majesty, these birds justify their name. However, they do not live in imperial conditions at all. Not only do penguins constantly live in the very harsh conditions of Antarctica, but they also give birth to their children during the most difficult time of the year - winter. Emperor penguins have dark upper parts of their bodies and white lower parts. There are orange spots on the upper part of the neck. The chicks are covered with long white or grayish down.

REPRODUCTION

The nesting period of penguins begins in March and lasts 10 months. Scientists divide the stay of penguins on land into 6 stages. The first stage is the formation of a colony, when the penguins split into pairs. If the pair already existed last year, the spouses look for each other, and if the pair has not yet formed, the male looks for the female. He wanders among the flock and screams loudly from time to time. The female responds to his voice, and the acquaintance, and then the “matchmaking,” will take place here. The second stage is egg laying and incubation. The female emperor penguin lays one large egg. After a few hours, the females pass the eggs to the males, and they themselves go to sea to feed. The males continue the hunger strike and faithfully incubate the eggs - about 64-100 days. In case of bad weather, they plan to bask together. The third stage is the return of the females, the males leaving to feed and the chicks hatching. Females find males by their voices and take eggs or hatched chicks under their care. If the chick hatches before the female appears, the male feeds it with “milk” (the secretion of a special gland). The female, returning, gives him a paste of krill and fish. The fourth stage is feeding the chicks. The fifth stage is the time of molting. It lasts up to 35 days. In mid-December, the colony disintegrates and the penguins go to sea - this is the sixth stage.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

To get to their Antarctic “pastures”, they have to walk up to 320 km through snowdrifts on snowy and icy rocks. When the sun is shining, they confidently follow their route, but on cloudy days they sometimes lose their way. Emperor penguins are the symbol of Antarctica. The height of the birds is up to 120 cm, weight 40-50 kg. Penguins cannot fly, but they swim and dive beautifully with the help of wings that have turned into flippers. Their legs are a kind of steering wheel and brake. They feed on fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. They live in colonies. On land they move “waddle”, but quite deftly. Penguins have a large layer of fat under their skin that protects the birds from the cold. In strong winds they huddle together: it’s not so cold together. In winter, the female emperor penguin lays one egg weighing 450 g. After this, the female goes to the sea to feed. Now the male takes over the baton. He places the egg on his paws and covers it with a special bag - a fold of skin - so that it does not freeze. A newborn baby first warms itself on its father’s paws, and then is raised in a “nursery” along with the neighboring chicks.

FEATURES OF THE DEVICE

Nature has provided the emperor penguin with reliable means for survival in the harsh conditions of Antarctica. Warm plumage plays a significant role in this. The penguin has a dense body of feathers - about a dozen feathers grow per 1 cm2. Short and hard, with fluffy down at the base, the feathers overlap very closely and form an insulating layer of air. The body shape of the emperor penguin is also a peculiar adaptation that accumulates heat, since the surface area of ​​the body, compared with its height, is small. In addition, there is a thick layer of fat under the skin. In the nasolacrimal ducts it also has a special heat exchange system, thanks to which it loses a small amount of heat when exhaling. The front and hind limbs of the emperor penguin retain heat as much as possible. In addition, the emperor penguin has a developed mechanism of social thermoregulation.

• The emperor penguin dives to a depth of 265 meters and spends 18 minutes underwater - a record among waterfowl.
• Male penguins do not feed during nesting from mid-March until June or July.
• Unlike the penguin, which has a specific area and protects it from its fellow tribesmen, the emperor penguin has low intraspecific aggressiveness.
• Emperor penguins have a developed instinct for social thermoregulation. In harsh seasons, birds gather in close groups, forming a so-called “turtle”.
• Emperor penguins are avid travelers. Some penguins create colonies at a distance of about 300 km from the coast.

UNDERWATER LIFE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN

The penguin cannot fly, and it also moves awkwardly on land. His element is water. In pursuit of prey, thanks to its torpedo-like body, the penguin moves freely in the water column.

With energetic beats of its wings, which are shaped like kayak oars, the emperor penguin moves under water, while its legs and tail serve as its rudder.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The emperor penguin is the most Antarctic bird species; There are about 20 large colonies around the Antarctic coast.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

The penguin lives in harsh climates; he has only one enemy - the leopard seal. Although the number of these birds today is about 150,000, their numbers are affected by pollution in Antarctica.