Field guide · legendary
Emperor Penguin
Survivor of the polar night — the tallest penguin, breeding through Antarctica's cruellest winter on the ice.
Near Threatened
Overview
The emperor penguin is the only animal that breeds during the Antarctic winter, marching up to 120 kilometres across sea ice to colonies where males huddle together for two months, balancing a single egg on their feet at temperatures below minus 40°C.
At over 1.2 metres tall, emperors are the largest penguins on Earth. They dive deeper than any other bird — over 500 metres — hunting fish and squid beneath the ice, and stream through the ocean like torpedoes.
Habitat
Emperor penguins breed on fast ice attached to the Antarctic continent, at roughly 40 known colonies around the coast. They spend their lives on and in the Southern Ocean, coming ashore only to moult and breed.
Countries found
Interesting facts
- 01
Emperor penguins breed in the harshest winter on Earth — males incubate eggs on their feet for 65 days.
- 02
They can dive to over 500 metres — deeper than any other bird.
- 03
Huddling males rotate from cold outside to warm centre every few minutes.
Conservation status
Emperor penguins are Near Threatened, with colonies projected to decline as sea ice shrinks with climate change. Antarctica's remote colonies make monitoring difficult but satellite imagery is revealing population trends.
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