emperor penguins
By: Ivana Baltazar
Things I know about the Penguins
- Emperor penguins are the largest of the 17 species, or kinds, of penguins, and they spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters.
- Nearly all creatures leave except for the emperor, the only animal that spends the winter on Antarctica's open ice.
- Penguins are the largest emperor. They are about 45 inches long , in centimeters it is 115.
- Winter in Antarctica starts in March.
- They take turns moving to the inside of the group, where they're protected from the icy cold temperatures and wind.
- About two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate, or bring up, to feed the now hatched chicks.
- The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take over care of the chicks for a while.
- The youngsters stay sheltered in their mother's brood pouch for two months.
- If a young chick falls out of that warm spot, it can freeze to death in as little as two minutes.
- As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups of chicks called crues while they leave to fish.
- They return with food they regurgitate for their young.
- By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites.