Emperor Penguins
Emperor Penguins
Emperor Penguins
Emperor Penguins are amazing creatures they are tall, some are fat and some are skinny. They have black backs which make them really visisble for predators and they are white from the fron which can help them camouflage in the thick white snow. Their neck is stretched yellow. They have a small black beak and black eyes. They have black webbed feet which help them swim very fast.
Breeding begins in Autumn when the ice gets thick. The penguins return year after year to the same place. The first thing they do is go with their mate or find one to go to the breeding place. once the penguins have found a mate, the female produces an egg. There is nothing to make a warm nest so when the female leaves to find food with all the other females the partner keeps the egg warm, he puts the egg on his feet so his skin covers the egg which keeps it at about 38 degrees when outside its -35 degrees. The chicks are very small when they hatch. They weigh about 150-200g.
The only place you will find a Emperor penguin is Antarctica. they can survive the great winds and cold winter of the Antarctic. these creatures are the only animals to inhabit Antarctica. To live in this Antarctic winter they have a lot of special adaptations such as four layers of scale like feathers and it also provides a waterproof coat.
The estimated world population is about 595,000 even though they are very close to being threatened. These animals also have predators, well most animals do, the predators are Leopard seals which are known as one of the top predators of Antarctica, Killer whales which are a predator to nearly every animal on Antarctica and birds called Skuas who prey on eggs and babies of Emperor Penguins.