The maximum growth of the penguin. Emperor penguin. Habitat of the emperor penguin. Movement in the water

The emperor penguin is the largest of all penguins, weighing up to 45 kilograms and growing under 1.20 meters.

It has colorful feathers around the neck and head, while the head itself and the back of the body are black, and the abdomen is white.

While the king penguin is a sub-Antarctic species and is scattered throughout the continent, the emperor penguin is a resident of the deep South. The view was discovered by the Bellingshausen expedition in 1819-1822.

Description, lifestyle and habits

In many ways, emperor penguins do not differ from their smaller counterparts, just like others they feed on fish, squid and krill, which they catch, however, diving very deep behind them, where no other penguin can dive. ? Like other penguins, they have the ability to jump out of the water. This is what they do when fleeing predators. ?

It is the emperor penguin that has unique features that distinguish it not only from other penguins, but in general from all animals. And above all, it is an increased ability to store oxygen in the body and the ability to withstand high pressure under the water. In a calm state, the number of heart beats per minute is 60-70. Before diving, it increases to 200 strokes, and already under water, the number of shocks drops to 20 strokes, with a good supply of oxygen. After returning to land, the number again increases to 200 strokes in order to fully restore the body and breathe enough.

Body emperor penguin covered with feathers resembling long scales. To keep warm, there is a very thick layer of fat under the skin. The body of the penguin itself is very heavy. It does not have air sacs under the skin, as well as air layers under the feather, besides, the penguin's bones are quite heavy. The heavy weight makes it easier to dive for prey. He gets his food only under water. Penguins are masters of diving, here they surpass almost all birds and in their skills are not inferior to dolphins and seals. Sometimes near the shore or at shallow depths there is a lot of food for the penguin, and then there is absolutely no need for them to dive deeply. But if necessary, he can dive several tens of meters under the water and stay there for a couple of minutes.

Emperor penguins breed in the midst of the Antarctic winter and only on sea ice... This cycle begins, usually at the end of April to May. Penguins lay eggs where there is a chance for the chick in the future to hide from the wind, for example, between ice and icebergs, because it can be blown away by the wind. Eggs are laid in May-June, weighing about 0.4 kg. As with all penguins, the male is responsible for the egg, which covers the future chick with a special fold on the belly to maintain the desired temperature. Males sit huddled to each other in order to keep their warmth to the maximum, because the air temperature can reach -50 degrees Celsius. This is quite unusual, because adult males are very aggressive and territorial.

It's hard for penguins to hatch eggs! During this exhausting blizzard period, the birds lose weight, due to the fact that they practically do not eat, since they do not hunt, the plumage becomes dirty, becomes dull and disheveled.

As a rule, parents help each other to incubate chicks, guarding eggs in turn - one hunts, the other “works as a nanny”. There are also selfish penguins who, having given up the egg, go off to hunt and simply do not return until the chicks appear. In this case, the second parent, exhausted from hunger, may try to go hunting with the egg and lose it. This is a great grief. Sometimes, in such cases, unfortunate birds try to steal an egg from a nearby clutch.

On average, hatching occurs within 110 days. During this time, the penguin loses 40% of its body weight. They sleep for almost the entire period of incubation in order to preserve their reserves, because if you leave the egg for a short time, it can die. The mother goes to sea and returns only in July, usually her return coincides with the hatching of the chick. After that the male goes to the sea. There he recovers lost energy and fat. The chicken is raised in the most usual way. His parents take turns watching him and feeding him until he is big enough to leave.

As soon as the chicks are hatched, pubescent with gray fluff, the life of the parents is getting better. As a rule, "nurseries" are organized - all the children are brought together in one heap, with them a "nanny" is left, ready to guard and protect all the chicks, and the parents go hunting.

As soon as the chicks change their gray down for an "adult" outfit, they begin to learn to hunt with their parents. These fearless birds often seek human contact.

Watching the penguins, or rather, their swimming, amazes how fast they move, as if they were flying under water. In this way, wing flippers help them to move, the penguin makes a movement with them like a flap of a wing. The animal can move at speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour. Yes, that's such a fast creature! The emperor penguin can move at speeds up to 48 kilometers per hour.

He is a brave and courageous inhabitant of Antarctica - the coldest place on our planet. It is the world record holder for cold resistance. Here, on the Antarctic islands, these birds gather in colonies for procreation. All around there is ice, strong wind and only mountains of snow.

The body is covered with dense short plumage and impregnated with water-repellent fat. This is why they do not freeze in the eerily icy water.The back is black and blue, the belly is white. The long thin beak is decorated with an orange stripe. There are small yellow or orange comma-shaped spots on the neck.

The tail is short, with large claws on its hind legs, which help it to stay on slippery surfaces, especially when jumping out of the water onto the firmament. Its wings do not bend and are excellent helpers when diving and swimming in water. The legs and tail act as a rudder.

The growth of an individual is from 118cm to 128cm, 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 the water, looking for food. On land, it seems awkward: it moves amusingly 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 strength and energy to eat.

The emperor penguin relies on its excellent eyesight, speed and swimming virtuosity. It flaps its flippers as if it flies across the sky. Usually it swims at a speed of 5-10 km / h, but if necessary, it can accelerate to 25 km / h. Under water it can do without air for up to 15 minutes, dive to a depth of 200m. Comes to the surface of the water to inhale. and krill are the emperor penguin's staple food. If the prey is large, it goes out into the snow and eats it, but if it is small, then it swallows it right in the water. The shoals pursue in groups in a coordinated manner, because attacking together the chance to catch the catch is higher.

They settle in colonies on the shores of Antarctica for procreation tens of kilometers from the sea. In April, thousands of them gather here. Males call out to females, sometimes such a "concert" can last for several days. When the female, having chosen the male, comes up to him, a pair is created.

For several days they will be together, for about 30 days, until the female lays one large white egg, weighing about 400 grams. A happy family informs its relatives about this important event with its cry. Imagine what the noise is, because there are many such couples and everyone has joy. Gently rolling the treasure on the male's paws, the female goes into the icy waters to feed herself. Transferring an egg to a male is a whole ritual.

Dad flaps his wings, bows to the female and gently touches and rolls up the wealth 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-belly fold. The male has accumulated 3 cm of fat to survive three months of hunger strike, for the life of his cub. Eerie winds are blowing, a blizzard is blowing, snow is spinning, the temperature drops to minus 60, but the dads will withstand all this. To keep warm, they cuddle together, standing in a circle, and changing places. Those who were in the middle give way to the extreme, 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, a well-fed and contented mother returns. She has accumulated a lot of fat to feed the future chick. Jumping out of the water in one jump onto the snow, she lets the male know with a cry that she is here. There is an incredible uproar again, but each pair will find each other.

The baby will hatch after two months as a fluffy light gray and ask 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 on his paws. She feeds the cub with milk and half-digested food, which she so diligently stocked up. The emaciated and dirty penguin father drags to the water to satisfy his hunger and gain strength. He'll be back very soon to help feed the chick. Parents will take turns to go to sea for prey, and feed themselves and the cub. In the noisy bustle, they will scream for "their own", making their way and jostling with other penguins. And so day after day.

Five weeks will pass, the baby has grown and does not fit in 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. Waddling awkwardly, little children gather in a tight circle, huddled together, as their fathers once stood.Adults do not lose vigilance and guard their chicks. You can't swim yet, their soft fluff will quickly get wet and they will freeze. A small growing glutton can eat 6 kg of fish at a time.

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

It has been a long time since the penguin came to this frozen land for the sake of procreation. From April to December, the colony lived in this place, and now they all leave it and go to the Arctic waters for two months of quiet life in order to prepare and gain strength for the future mating season. Emperor penguins live for 25 years.

Class - Birds
Squad - Penguin
Family - Penguin
Species - Emperor Penguin

They live only in Antarctica, have a tailcoat and are very clumsy. Is it really? Where do penguins live besides Antarctica? Let's figure it out. Let's immediately determine that the question of where the penguin lives has a broad answer: in the Southern Hemisphere. If you determine the area of its habitat, in this way, then the error is excluded. In addition, it must be borne in mind that there are many penguins: sixteen species. Naturally, they occupy different territories. Let's take a look at the individual types.

Which of them lives in Antarctica?

In the snowy expanses, you can find an emperor penguin. This is the largest species. They reach a height of 120 cm. They swim very well, but do not like to be far from the coast (this applies to all species of these birds). I must say that this is the place where taboos live for other birds. The chinstrap penguin also lives here. Its distinctive feature is a "helmet" on the head. This is a kind of plumage color, which is a dark-colored hat, a leash goes from it to the neck. What is more interesting is not where the penguin of this species lives, but how it reproduces. It turns out that these frost-hardy birds incubate their chicks in the coldest time, warming the eggs with their bodies. Mom and Dad, replacing each other on the most important watch, touchingly take care of the offspring. Most penguins hatch only one chick. The most famous species, Adelie, also lives here. After D "Jurville got acquainted with this bird, the Europeans became interested in the question of where the penguin lives. The fact is that this Frenchman was the first to describe this amazing species.

Where do penguins live besides Antarctica?

These birds can be found on almost all islands with a temperate climate. King penguins nest on the pieces of sushi formed into nests. They are decorated with orange quotation marks located on the neck. A bird adjacent to a royal relative has white stripe on the crown.

She was named Gentoo penguin, although she has nothing to do with these tribes. Although they are found on the Antarctic Peninsula, they prefer a more temperate climate. The Humboldt Penguin lives in Peru. It was discovered and studied by a German geographer, after whose name the bird is named. These birds have a white horseshoe on the back of their heads. I must say that all penguins differ from each other visually, having certain features characteristic only of this species.

Where do white penguins live?

Among the variety of these birds, some are distinguished by greatness, others in size, and still others by extraordinary plumage. So, in the east of New Zealand, the white-winged penguin is found. The upper part of his body is covered with a bluish feather, the lower one is snow-white. And in the area of the Chatham islands a baby nests, whose height does not exceed forty centimeters. This is a blue penguin.

Habitat Africa

Studying where the penguin lives, one cannot but pay attention to the hot continent. Do not wonder! Africa has also sheltered representatives of this feathered variety. A donkey penguin lives there. They called him that for his voice, very similar to the cry of an animal prototype. You can see it only in the northernmost territories of the continent. The screamer does not nest anywhere else. The Galapagos Islands took another look. There is the birthplace of the eponymous representative of the penguins. Moreover, his relatives do not claim these territories. is the full owner of the islands.

Unusual birds

There is whole line penguins that stand out as completely "unconventional" appearance... So, the crested is the owner of the golden "hair". He has many yellowish feathers on his head. He also lives on the islands. An interesting description of his movements. Unlike the rest of his fellows, he does not know how to walk. When walking, it pushes off with both paws, and dives as a "soldier". Therefore, he earned the title of "rock jumper". grew even more hair. She covers him up to the back. Distributed widely: from Antarctica to the islands of the Indian and Atlantic zones of the Southern Ocean. He is similar to the Schlegel penguin. Only under his golden hair they flaunt

white sides. Three species of tufted penguins breed in New Zealand. They vary in size, but are generally similar to each other. On their heads flaunt "Iroquois" made of feathers.

Where can you see birds?

It is already clear that in order to study the habits of various penguins, you need to make a trip to the Southern Hemisphere. Don't get confused. These birds do not live in the Arctic (they have never been seen there). Their distribution area is the area near South Pole... To study this species of birds, you will have to go to Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. And there already to develop a route, according to the goals and objectives defined for the expedition. It will not work to see all the species in a small area. Penguins don't like to travel long distances. They live in a "ancestral" place, determined, so to speak, historically. Most species sheltered New Zealand... There you can also look at the extraordinary yellow-eyed penguin, which was nicknamed magnificent.

Do birds live in captivity?

If you are interested in zoos, then you know: penguins exist and reproduce there perfectly. An interesting fact has been established.

When scientists asked how long penguins live, it turned out that captivity contributes to the length of their century. That is, in nature, birds die faster. Most likely, this is due to difficult living conditions, difficulties in obtaining food, many enemies in natural areas... Now special nurseries are being created, the purpose of which is to recreate the number of those populations that reach a critical level due to human progress. If birds are protected from natural predators, then the survival rate of the offspring increases significantly. So, scientists have calculated that only half of the hatched chicks live up to a year. If you take into account the loss of eggs, then twenty percent. Nevertheless, the species live well and reproduce. Apparently, the main task of man is not to interfere with penguins decorating the planet with their wonderful diversity.

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Kingdom: Animals

The emperor penguin (lat.Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest of the 18 species of the penguin family. The emperor penguin was discovered by the Bellingshausen expedition in 1819-1822.

The average body length of an adult animal is 120 cm, weight is from 27 to 41 kg. Outwardly, these birds look as if they are wearing a tailcoat: their head is black with a bluish tint, the chest is white, the wings are black, the back is bluish-gray, the beak at the base is purple-pink. On the cheeks there is a golden yellow stripe running down to the neck. There are no flight feathers on the wings, the span is 1.36 - 1.59 m. Small wings, unable to hold the bird's heavy body in the air, are excellent fins. When diving, the penguin rakes them like flippers and is able to move very quickly in the water.

When hunting, emperor penguins cover long distances, swimming speed is about 20-25 km / h, and a depth of up to 535 meters, but if the penguins are in a hurry, they can develop a speed of 40 km / h. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main reference point when hunting is sight, not hearing or echo sounder. On land, the speed of movement is 3-6 km / h.

Swimming underwater differs from flying in the air in that the same energy is expended on raising the wing as for lowering, since the water resistance is greater than the air resistance, therefore, the blades of penguins have, compared to other birds, a larger surface on which the muscles are attached. responsible for lifting the wing. The pectoral muscles are developed and sometimes make up to 30% of the body weight, which is several times higher than the muscles of the most powerful flying birds.

Over the years of evolution, these seabirds have perfectly adapted to life in extremely low temperatures. Wise nature has provided them with several layers of warm, durable feathers that can withstand an icy wind blowing at speeds of over 110 km / h at a temperature of -50 degrees. There is a layer of fat under the skin of the bird, its thickness can reach three centimeters, and this subcutaneous protection from the cold also prevents the penguin from freezing either in cold water or on land.

In order to avoid heat loss through the paws, penguins have a mechanism for heat exchange of blood flows circulating in the paws. Arteries and veins are located close to each other, arterial blood entering the paws is cooled, venous, on the contrary, takes heat from the arterial before returning back to the bird's body. Thus, the temperature of the paws is much lower than the body temperature, the tissues are much less sensitive to cold and the risk of frostbite is minimal.

Another clear difference between penguins and other birds is bone density. All birds have tubular bones, which makes their skeletons lighter and allows them to fly or run fast, while in penguins they look like the bones of mammals (dolphins and seals) and do not contain internal cavities.

The emperor penguin is a bird unsuitable for flight, but its "flight" out of the water cannot but cause admiration, which can reach 1.8 meters.

Almost all year round, emperor penguins are forced to withstand severe frosts, which are often intensified by northerly winds blowing at speeds of up to 200 km / h. Then mutual assistance comes to the aid of the inhabitants of the colony - they gather in dense groups, up to ten individuals per square meter, and warm each other with their warmth.

Birds in this incredible crowd move in periodic waves, constantly changing the structure of the group, which allows birds from the outer row to move inside the flock over time. The birds are "packed" so closely that it is impossible to move separately. However, in a close group, they move in a very coordinated manner, maintaining mobility and "airtight packaging". Every 30 to 60 seconds, all penguins take small steps that are transmitted like waves through the entire flock - over time, these small movements lead to large-scale reorganization. In general, individual penguins do not change their position in relation to their neighbors, and they deliberately do not climb in or out of the flock.

By convictions, penguins are monogamous, that is, couples are created almost for life. If peacocks attract females with their beauty, and deer - with tournament victories, then penguins rely on their voice in everything. The male starts screaming and waits for the female to respond to his unique "serenade".

From this time on, the male and the female keep together. The "flirtation" of the penguins has been going on for a month. First, the penguin waddles after the "bride", and they dance for hours in one place, opposite each other, bowing their heads in time to their movements. Then the lovers arch their bodies, raise their heads to the sky and take turns singing. And the most interesting thing: before copulation, the penguin and the penguin exchange low bows.

It takes 25 days for an egg to be laid, one and only one per breeding season. Emperor penguins' eggs are large: 12 cm long, 8-9 cm wide and weigh about 500 g. Their color is white. Oviposition is confined to May-early June.

The male and female meet the appearance of the egg with loud, as observers say, "jubilant" cries. For some time, the female holds the egg on her paws, covering it with a special fold of skin on the underside of the belly. After a few hours, it is transmitted to the male, while the female, having hungry for 45-50 days, goes to feed in the sea.

Daddy carefully holds the egg on his paws, covering it from above with a fold of the abdomen, which is called a hen bag. Even in the most severe frosts, the temperature in the egg does not drop below 33.6 degrees. So the father penguin stands, practically not moving for 9 weeks. During this time, he does not eat anything except snow, therefore, by the return of his wife, he can lose up to 40% of his mass.

But this is not the most amazing thing! If the female suddenly, for some reason, does not keep up by the time the chick appears, the male finds the strength and means to feed the chick himself. Special glands begin to work, which process fat into a creamy mass. It is this "bird's milk" that the male expresses by the mouth-to-mouth method to his chick!

The female returns in mid-July. She recognizes her partner by his voice and takes over from him the baton of hatching eggs. And he, having lost almost half of his weight, goes to sea to recuperate. It will replenish energy reserves and subcutaneous fat by hunting squid, fish and krill.

By this time, the chick is still covered with down and will be able to swim only after molting (about six months later). But he is already curious and begins to wean from the female at three or four weeks of age. Sometimes it ends badly. And it's not just the "skua bandits" or giant petrels. The trouble is that penguins are extremely child-loving. Therefore, a bachelor or a female who has lost a chick is always ready to steal and "adopt" a gape of a baby.

As soon as the kid gape, several hooligans attack him and try to capture him. When the parents discover the kidnapping, a real fight ensues between them and the kidnappers. Scarlet blood stains appear on the blinding whiteness of the ice. The fate of the chicks depends on the outcome of these battles. If his parents rescued him, he would survive, even with serious wounds and spilled blood. If he is forcibly adopted by a bachelor, his fate is predetermined, he will die. In a few days, the stepfather will get hungry, he will have to go in search of food, there is no one to replace him, he has no girlfriend, and then he will leave his stepson, dooming him to certain death.

Chicks are not similar in color to adults, they are grayish, with a white "face" and a black cap. The first and second downy outfits differ in the length of the pubescence. After 5-6 months, the second downy outfit of the chicks is replaced by a feather one. At the same time, molt occurs in adult birds, which lasts more than a month. Birds spend this period, standing motionless in secluded places, do not eat anything, lose weight a lot. Since January, adults and young penguins go to sea.

The emperor penguin is under the protection of the international community, and the penguin population is declining as fewer birds return to Antarctica every year.

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The word "Antarctica" immediately presents itself as endless expanses of snow and ice, snow-white plains under a dazzling blue sky. Its rich color is due to the extremely low temperatures prevailing in the harsh region. It is hard to believe that life can exist in the midst of this icy silence. But it is there, just imagine! Among the few representatives of the Arctic fauna on place of honor there is an emperor penguin. An amazing creature, the largest and most beautiful among the penguin family.

Habitat

The emperor penguin is listed in the Red Book. Today there are only about 300 thousand individuals of this species. This is negligible for the feathered family, therefore the stately rare birds was taken under protection by the state.

For habitation, the bird prefers the southern regions of Antarctica, drifting on ice floes in the northern waters. And it goes on land during the mating season for mating and breeding. However, the process of incubating and raising babies takes most of the year, so we can say that penguins are sedentary. The latest data from satellite observation states about 38 colonies of imperial birds.

A bright bird with an impressive appearance: description plus photos

The emperor penguin fully justifies its name with its external splendor. To begin with, it should be said that this is a giant among the penguin species. His height is up to 120 cm and weight over 40 kg impressive. There are even larger specimens. Although females are smaller than males, they gain body weight up to 30 kg, but still, the general impression of the stoutness of the birds does not change from this.

The back and wings of the penguins are coal-black, although there is a bluish-gray camouflage mantle on the back over the main plumage. The snow-white belly and forelegs contrast with the black.

The slightly yellowish tint of the tummy turns into a pale yellow palette on the throat and frankly sunny in the surrounding space on the sides of the head. There are no differences in color by gender. Babies of the emperor penguin initially look like little white fluffy balls with a gray tummy and a black hat.

It was not for nothing that nature gave such a color to a magnificent bird, so it protected it from the attack of predators in the water, making it as invisible as possible. The musculature of penguins is very developed and strong. Although they do not know how to fly, they swim masterfully. So that ultra-low temperatures, snowstorms with a piercing wind, icy ocean water did not become an obstacle to the life of the imperial handsome man, he acquired the functions and structure of the body corresponding to natural conditions:

small head and limbs;
very thick subcutaneous fat;
tough short, extremely dense feather;
streamlined torso;
wing in the form of flippers.

This is all aimed at minimizing heat loss and maintaining waterproofing as water runs down the feathers without absorbing into it. The structure of the skeleton and the shape of the body testify to the bird as an excellent swimmer and diver.

Group hunting rules and diet

The land of the Arctic, chained in permafrost, is completely inhospitable to its inhabitants, and one should not expect generous gifts from it. Why, even a meager food under meter-long layers of snow cannot be found. Therefore, everyone living in the harsh northern regions is looking for food in the sea waters.

The emperor penguin prefers to get food in a group way. The bird population, as an aggressor, breaks into the fish school, causing horror and chaos, and simply grabs everything that is in the available proximity. The birds swallow small prey right under the water, and the larger trophies are pulled ashore or the nearest ice floe and there they are torn into small pieces and eat.

Penguins' movement speed in water is not too high - up to 6 km / h... But as a diver, the imperial representative of the penguin species is the undoubted leader. With good illumination of the sea depths, he is able to dive below 30 mand stay under water for more than a quarter of an hour. The rays penetrating through the water column directly affect the depth of the dive, because the reference point for birds is their vision, and in the dark there will be no sense from diving, all the prey will calmly swim by.

Most of the day is spent on getting food. In addition to fish, the diet includes squid, crustacean krill, molluscs and cephalopods.

Survival rules and features of life

Society for emperor penguins is a natural state. They live in colonies of up to 1000 animals. For habitation on land, they choose places sheltered from the piercing arctic winds: huge icy outgrowths, cliffs, hummocks. For warming, the birds are grouped into large flocks, periodically changing places, the outer ones move to the center and vice versa. Indeed, in the middle of a huge bird ball it is not just warm, it is even hot there. Fairness is evident among bird communities.

Emperor penguin settlements must be near open waters to hunt. Watching the birds as they move is very interesting. They do this not on their two legs, but sliding on their belly and pushing off with their paws and wings, like oars.

Breeding offspring

The preservation of the duration of the genus takes most of the year among the imperial birds. Only a couple of months in total it takes the birds to hunt, the rest of the time is taken up by parenting. Which, by the way, are performed with equal responsibility by females and males.

For breeding, the penguin chose a very unfavorable time - May-June. This annual segment is characterized by extremely low temperatures (below -50C) and raging winds (up to 200 km / h). Not very reasonable, but hunting, as they say, is worse than bondage. Due to the harsh climatic conditions, heirs grow slowly and are constantly exposed to danger from the weather.

For laying eggs, the emperor penguin, like any bird makes a nest. Of course, in the icy desert one cannot find branches, sticks, even moss for this. But on the other hand, secluded corners away from the wind and water in the crevice of the rock are perfect. Or even just a depression at its foot. The bird lays the nest with stones, which, due to the scarcity the environment not that much either. Sly dads have found a way out that is not too honest, but it works without fail on females. They secretly drag stones from their relatives, demonstrating all their homeliness and desire to bring everything to the family.

They prefer to arrange "kindergartens" for raising offspring on coastal ice... A very smart decision. Not every predator wants to cross the icy waters to feast on eggs or young birds. It's just that the white polar bear doesn't care about sea waters, but fortunately, this does not happen very often. If a breeding colony is created on the mainland, then it will be the quietest, warmest place near the rocks, protected from the wind.

6 weeks after mating, the female will lay only one egg and leave it in the care of the father. Itself will leave to feed and will be absent for about 3 months. All this time, the male will warm the future cub under the fold of skin on the belly. During incubation, he loses weight by almost half, but he never throws an egg until his mother returns. The weight of the penguin at birth is about 0.5 kg... He usually appears at the arrival of the parent. If this happens earlier, then the father feeds the newborn with juice from a special gastric gland.

The emerging chick is fed first by the mother with the caught semi-digested fish, and then both parents do it. At two months, babies cluster in a nursery, forming flocks, and by the end of summer, parents stop supplying children with provisions, and they begin an independent life.

After gaining adult status in chicks, a flock of penguins leaves the breeding site back to the sea. But before that, they molt. The process of changing plumage is difficult for a bird to endure. She does not eat, practically does not move, and loses a lot of weight.

Interesting Emperor Penguin Facts

The bird was first described by a member of an Arctic expedition led by Bellingshausen back in the 19th century. And only a century later, researcher Scott studied the penguin in more detail and seriously during his trip to Antarctica.

Watching penguins is a very difficult task. The birds are so fearful that when people approach, they throw not only egg clutches, but also helpless chicks and run away.

During the rearing of offspring, up to 35% of young animals die from attacks of predators. Birds (Antarctic skuas and giant petrels) and mammals (leopard seals and killer whales) are to blame for this.

Despite their low birth weight, baby penguins are very voracious. A growing chick can eat 6 kg at a timebrought food. Parents knock themselves off their feet to feed their growing child.

The life expectancy of the emperor penguin is high, given the extremely harsh living conditions - 25 years. They survive well in captivity, and even reproduce.