The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) belongs to the penguin family. It is the largest penguin species in the world. It lives in the cold and icy Antarctic.

They are easily recognisable by their long necks, black heads and bright yellow-orange cheeks. They cannot fly, but they are excellent swimmers with their fin-like wings. They feed on fish, squid and krill in cold seas.

^{Penguins Standing in the Snow During the Day (Pexels)}

What Do They Look Like?

Emperor penguins have black, white and yellow feathers. Their backs are black and their bellies are pure white. Their cheeks are bright yellow and orange. These colours help them blend into their cold surroundings and attract the attention of the opposite sex during mating season.

How Big Are They?

Emperor penguins are approximately 1.1 metres tall. They weigh between 20 and 40 kilograms. This makes them the largest of all penguin species.

^{The Emperor Penguin Family (Created with AI)}

What Do They Eat?

Emperor penguins feed on fish, squid and small marine creatures called krill in the sea. They can dive for long periods of time and catch their prey by swimming in cold waters.

Where Do They Live?

Emperor penguins live only on the icy shores of Antarctica. Despite the harsh winter conditions, they live together in large colonies and keep each other warm. The female lays only one egg; the male incubates it by warming it with a fold of skin above his feet. This protects the chick in the egg from the cold.

Contributions to the Ecosystem

Emperor penguins hunt fish in the sea, helping to maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem. At the same time, penguin eggs and chicks are a source of food for some polar birds and seals.

Protection Status

Emperor penguins are classified as a ‘Near Threatened’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This indicates that their numbers have declined in some areas and that we need to protect them.