13.06.2019
This magnificent emperor penguin! Emperor penguin - the bird that challenged Antarctica What is the largest penguin in the world
Emperor penguin - the tallest and heaviest representative of his imperial family - the penguin family. Growth of the Emperor Penguin sometimes it reaches 1.20 m, and body weight up to 40 kg, and even more. Females are slightly smaller - up to 30 kg.
Its back and head are completely black, and its belly is white and yellow. Its natural color makes it almost invisible to predators when it hunts in water. Naturally it cannot fly, but it is a rather strong and muscular bird. Emperor penguin chicks completely covered with white fluff.
This representative of penguins was described back in the 19th century, research group under the leadership of Bellingshausen. Almost a century later, Scott's expedition also made a major contribution to its study.
The emperor penguin today numbers approximately 300 thousand individuals (that's not a lot), is considered a rare bird, and is among the protected species. Emperor penguin in the photo Quite a majestic bird, isn't it?
It hunts in the ocean, like any sea creature, feeding on fish and. Hunting occurs mainly in a group. The group aggressively breaks into the school, causes complete chaos in its ranks, and then grabs whatever they can get their hands on.
They are able to swallow small things right in the water, but with larger prey it is more difficult - they have to drag it to the shore, and then tear it apart and eat it.
While hunting, they are able to cover quite significant distances, reaching speeds of up to 6 km per hour. The emperor penguin is the diving champion among its relatives; the depth of its dive can reach 30 meters or more.
In addition, they can hold their breath for as long as fifteen minutes. During their swims, they rely more on vision, so the more light that penetrates through the water, the deeper they dive. They try to establish their colonies in dry places, away from the cold northern wind, hiding them behind stone cliffs and ice blocks.
It is important that there is open water nearby. Colonies can number in the thousands of individuals. By the way, they sometimes move quite interestingly - gliding across snow and ice on their bellies, with the help of their wings and paws.
Penguins often warm themselves in large groups, inside which it’s even hot, despite the extremely low temperatures environment. At the same time, they even alternate so that everything is fair - the inner ones move outward, and the outer ones warm up inward. Penguins spend the bulk of the year raising their young, and only a couple of months of the year, in total, they spend hunting.
It is quite difficult to track the movements of penguins, and generally observe them at close range, because these birds are very shy. When a person approaches, they can easily abandon the nest along with the clutch or chicks and take off.
Emperor Penguin Habitat
Exactly emperor penguin lives at most southern regions. Spending most of their time on the drifting northern ice floes, they still go to mate and lay eggs. mainland where it's warmer.
According to the latest information from satellite observations, there are at least 38 communities of emperor penguins in Antarctica.
Reproduction and lifespan
Their breeding season begins from May to June, during a not very favorable weather period of the year. At this time, the temperature can be -50ºС, and the wind speed is 200 km/h. Not a very smart approach, but acceptable for penguins. For this reason, their offspring grow extremely slowly and are susceptible to all sorts of climatic hazards.
Do emperor penguins build nests?? Of course, as without it. But from what? After all, as you know, no vegetation northern ice their inhabitants are not happy. Firstly, the penguin tries to find some secluded place, away from water and winds.
This could be a crevice in the rock or simply a depression in the ground under the cover of the rock. The bird equips its nest with stones, which, by the way, are also not too many, especially of a suitable transportable size.
Therefore, it is often Emperor penguins build nests from other people's stones, which cunning males secretly drag from a neighboring nest. By the way, this makes quite an impression on the females - so to speak, “All in the family.”
They rarely locate their colonies for raising offspring directly on the mainland, most often on coastal ice. It seems safer to raise children on a floating ice floe.
Here they are absolutely right - not every predator will risk getting to them by swimming in ice water. Except that polar bears, which move equally on both land and water, although they do not eat penguins because of the poor taste of the meat and because different places a habitat. But it's not like that common case. If, nevertheless, they settle on the shore, then this is the most protected and not windy place, as a rule, near the rocks.
They arrive on the mainland starting in March, where active mating games immediately begin, accompanied by frequent fights and restless screams. A colony gradually forms; it can range from 300 individuals to several thousand. But then the long-awaited calm comes, the pairs are formed, the penguins are distributed into small groups.
At the beginning of summer, females already begin to lay their first clutches. When, as a rule, one single egg appears, she commemorates this with a cry of victory. Most of the time, the egg is warmed under a specific fold of skin on the female’s abdomen.
Its weight can be approximately 500 g. Hatching mainly falls on the male, who soon after laying the egg, replaces the female. After all, before this happens, she sits hungry for more than a month.
The egg hatches for at least 2 months, and sometimes more. Usually the appearance of offspring coincides with the return of females after a long, well-deserved hunt.
A recently hatched chick weighs three hundred grams, no more. If his mother did not make it in time for his appearance, then the male feeds him - gastric juice, or rather, it is produced not exactly by the stomach, but by a special gland.
This composition contains all micronutrients. While the chick is growing, the parents jealously protect it from all sorts of external threats, in particular, these are seabirds of prey.
It is fed as if for slaughter - in one sitting the chick can eat six kilograms of fish. It grows until next spring, and only after the young learn to swim do all the birds go back to the ice.
For others, it is practically inaccessible. As already mentioned, the chicks are threatened by petrels or skuas, and they often become their prey. This danger no longer threatens adults.
Despite the harsh conditions of the North, due to their comparative safety from predators, many of them live to the ripe old age of 25 years. In captivity they also feel quite comfortable and even give birth to offspring.
Male emperor penguins reach a height of 160 cm and weigh on average 35-40 kg, but the maximum weight of a male can reach 60 kg. Females reach 114 cm in height and 28-32 kg in weight.
As a seabird, the emperor penguin hunts exclusively at sea. It feeds on fish, squid and krill. They hunt in groups. These groups swim straight into a school of fish and quickly attack their prey, pecking at everything that appears in front of them. They eat small prey directly in the water, and with larger prey they must swim to the surface to cut it up. When hunting, they travel long distances and reach speeds of up to 3-6 km/h and depths of up to 35 meters. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main guide when hunting is vision, and not hearing or echo sounder.
Emperor penguin colonies are located in natural shelters: behind cliffs and large ice floes with the obligatory presence of areas open water. The largest colonies number up to ten thousand individuals. Emperor penguins often move lying on their bellies, using their paws and wings. In order to keep warm, they gather in dense groups, inside which the temperature can reach +35 degrees at an ambient temperature of -20 °C. At the same time, the penguins constantly move from the edge of the group to the center and back so that everyone is in equal conditions. About two months a year are spent at sea, the rest of the time is spent on procreation. The emperor penguin, despite its proud appearance and name, is a very cautious and even timid bird. Many attempts to ring it were unsuccessful, because when potential danger approached, such panic began that the penguins ran away, abandoning their eggs and chicks.
Emperor penguins begin to breed in winter, in May - June, when in their habitat the temperature drops below −50 °C and the wind blows at speeds of up to 200 km/h. This is due to the fact that emperor penguin chicks develop very slowly. Emperor penguin breeding colonies are located on coastal ice, occasionally on the continent. Colonies are located in places with the most favorable microclimate, protected from the winds blowing from the middle of the continent at this time of year, for example, among cliffs, glaciers or in uneven ice. But there should also be open holes, cracks, or areas of ice-free sea near the colony. This is necessary for birds to feed and feed their chicks. At severe frosts penguins gather in close groups, unlike, for example, Adélie penguins, which keep warm in pairs in a strictly limited nesting territory.
Emperor penguins stay off the coast of Antarctica for about 10 months. The first birds appear on their nesting sites at the end of the Antarctic summer (mid-March to mid-April). Here the birds pair up, accompanying this process with screams and frequent fights. This is how a colony is formed. Maximum size colonies - 10 thousand birds, minimum - 300 birds.
Then the birds calm down, stand quietly in pairs during the day, and at night gather in groups, forming a “turtle”. In May-early June, the female lays a single egg, uses her beak to roll it onto her paws and cover it with a fold of skin on the underside of her abdomen, which is called the brood pouch. The appearance of the egg is accompanied by loud screams from the parents. Emperor penguin egg weight 450 g, size 12x9 cm; average temperature eggs 31.4°. After a few hours, the male, who also has a brood pouch, takes care of the egg. The female, having fasted for 45-50 days, goes to the sea to feed. Males, in case of any deterioration in the weather, gather in dense groups - about 10 birds per 1 m², which helps preserve the life of future offspring. At the same time, approximately 4-8% of non-breeding individuals are present in the colony. The duration of incubation of an egg is 62-66 days, sometimes up to 100 days.
The females return from feeding and at the same time chicks emerge from the eggs. Each female finds her mate by voice. The males, having been hungry for 3 months and having lost 40% of their body weight, give them eggs or already hatched chicks and go off to feed themselves. The average weight of a hatched chick is 315 g. If the chick hatched before the female returned from the sea, then the father feeds it “milk” - a special juice that is produced by the penguin’s stomach and esophagus, or rather the esophageal gland. This juice contains a glycolipoprotein substance, which has about 28% fat and about 60% protein. The chick can survive on this food for several days. For about three weeks, the females feed the chicks with semi-digested food, krill and fish gruel, stored on a voyage by sea, and the same milk. At the age of five weeks, emperor penguin chicks no longer fit in the brood pouch and go to the so-called “kindergartens”, where they spend time huddled tightly together. Adult penguins protect them from attacks by predators - petrels and skuas. Parents find their chick among hundreds of others and feed only it. During this period, the chick can eat up to 6 kg of fish at a time. The period of feeding the chick ends in December - January, at the height of the Antarctic summer. The molting period lasts for 30-35 days, during which the birds do not eat anything, sit motionless and lose a lot of weight. The chicks will become capable of swimming only by January. Then adult and young birds go to sea until next spring.
Emperor penguins have few enemies, and the natural age of these birds can be up to 25 years. The only predators that kill adult emperor penguins in or near water are killer whales and leopard seals. On ice floes it sometimes happens that emperor penguin chicks become prey to skuas or giant petrels. It is the latter that poses the greatest danger, since it causes the death of up to a third of emperor penguin chicks. These birds pose no danger to adults.
King Penguin
King Penguin
(Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Breeds on islands near Tierra del Fuego: South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, Marion, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen (island), Heard, Macquarie (Macquarie island).
The king penguin's body length ranges from 91 to 96 cm.
King penguins nest in colonies on hard surfaces, mainly rocks. The male, ready to breed, walks through the colony, shaking his head so that the females can see orange spots on his head, indicating puberty. From time to time, the male emits calling calls while raising his beak to the sky. An interested female approaches the male. Sometimes fierce fights for females occur, during which the males violently beat each other with their wings. When the female makes her choice, a beautiful dance begins. The penguins either raise their heads into the sky and scream at the same time, or drop them, as if powerless. The birds gently touch each other with their beaks and put their heads on the shoulders of their partner and from the outside it looks like the penguins are hugging. When the dance ends, the female lies down on the ground, taking an inviting pose. The male climbs onto her back and the birds mate. Mating lasts approximately 4-6 seconds, after which the male moves off the female. The dance and mating are repeated many times.
Eggs are laid in December-January, with one egg per clutch. The female lays the egg on her paws and covers it with a fold on her belly. Then the male also joins in the incubation. Incubation duration is 54 days. Characteristic feature The breeding behavior of king penguins is that mainly chicks from eggs laid in November and December survive. The remaining chicks from later clutches do not have time to grow and die in the winter. Adult birds whose chicks have died begin to lay eggs earlier the next time. At the same time, birds whose chicks have successfully grown begin to lay eggs later the next time, and their next chicks do not survive.
Rockhopper Penguin
Western Rockhopper Penguin
(Eudyptes chrysocome)
It lives on the rocky islands of the subantarctic region, but is sometimes found further north, on the southern tip of Africa and South America, as well as on the south coast of New Zealand.
Reaches 45-58 cm in height, weight 2-3 kg.
Breeds in large colonies on the barren and very harsh islands of Tristan da Cunha and Heard Island. These penguins are very loud and have an angry character, attacking anyone and anything that threatens them. It makes nests on rock ledges and coastal slopes, and often digs holes. There are 2-3 eggs in a clutch. In a noisy and crowded colony, the small first egg is usually lost in quarrels with neighbors. The chicks gather in the nursery, but return to the nest when their parents call them to feed them. The chicks grow quickly and at the age of 10 weeks are ready to go to sea.
It feeds on krill.
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
(Eudyptes moseleyi)
More than 99% of these penguins nest on the islands of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, both located in the South Atlantic Ocean.
It feeds on krill, crustaceans, squid, octopus and fish.
Breeds in large breeding colonies. These colonies can be located either near the sea or on steep slopes. Sometimes it nests in the depths of the islands.
Thick-billed penguin
Fiordland Penguin
(Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)
It lives on the islands of Stewart and Solander, adjacent to the south of New Zealand, as well as in New Zealand itself on the southwestern coast of the South Island.
Body length is 55-60 cm with a weight of 2 to 5 kg (average - 3 kg).
Food is obtained in coastal waters, they feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and small fish. During breeding, they migrate from the coast; some nests can be located at an altitude of 100 m above sea level. In winter, penguins are in the ocean and live alone. In July - they migrate to nesting sites. IN daytime penguins hide in dense vegetation and rocky ledges, being active only at dusk and at night.
In colonies, pairs are located at a distance from each other. Do not nest on open places, rocky ledges, fallen trees, and burrows are preferred for nesting. Males return to nesting sites in July, usually two weeks earlier than females. The nest is built from small twigs. Females usually lay two pale green eggs. Hatching of eggs lasts 4-6 weeks. As a rule, most often one egg dies, but if both survive, then the parents are not able to feed two chicks, and the weaker chick dies. Of the two chicks, as a rule, the one hatched from the larger egg survives. From a smaller egg, often not a single chick hatches, or dies a few days after birth. For the first 2-3 weeks, after the chick hatches, the male remains near the nest and guards it, while the female searches for and obtains food. After two weeks, both parents go to the sea to feed, leaving the chick on the shore as part of a group of young. At the age of 75 days, the chicks molt and are already able to swim in the sea.
Crested penguin
Snares Penguin
(Eudyptes robustus)
It is endemic to the small archipelago of the Snar Islands, whose area is about 3.3 km², this is the smallest range of all penguin species. However, about 30 thousand pairs live in this territory. Given that human influence on the archipelago is minimal, there are no terrestrial predators, and bushes and trees grow densely on the islands, the threat status for the species is relatively favorable.
It has average dimensions: height is about 55 cm and weight is about 4 kg.
The basis of nutrition is krill (about 60%). The rest of the diet consists of small squid and fish.
It nests in colonies from several dozen pairs to a thousand or more. Nests are built both in forests and in open spaces. From the age of 5-6 years, the female lays two eggs, which alternately incubate with the male for 32-35 days. In most cases, one of the chicks dies. The surviving penguin chicks, at the age of 2.5 months, go out to feed in the ocean along with the adults. Life expectancy is 15-20 years.
The greatest threat to adult penguins on the high seas is the New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri). Eggs and chicks are endangered on land by various birds.
Schlegel's Penguin
Royal Penguin
(Eudyptes schlegeli)
Lives on the barren, deserted Macquarie Island, located in Pacific Ocean in close proximity to Antarctic belt. On the island, penguins usually form colonies of up to 500 thousand individuals, but sometimes small colonies of up to 200 pairs are also found. The total number of penguins is estimated at 2-2.5 million birds.
Adults reach a height of 70 cm and a weight of about 6 kg.
This type of penguin breeds only on Macquarie Island. However, adult penguins spend most of their time in the ocean far from the island, where they feed on krill, small fish, and zooplankton.
The female usually lays two eggs, with an incubation period of about 35 days.
Big crested penguin
Erect-crested Penguin
(Eudyptes sclateri)
Breeds on New Zealand's Bounty Islands and Antipodes Islands.
This is an average penguin with a body length of 63-65 cm, weighing about 2.7-3.5 kg. Females are significantly smaller in size than males. In adults, the color of the head, upper neck and cheeks is black. On the front part above the eyes there is a wide yellow cross-shaped stripe. The top of the body is black with a blue tint, the bottom is white. The wing-fin is painted black and blue along the edge - a white border, the bottom of the wing-fin is white; its end is dark on the inside. The beak is long and thin, brownish-orange in color. The chicks are grayish-brown on top and white below. Grown-up chicks are somewhat different from adults, the main difference is the yellow cross on the head smaller in size than in adults.
Breeds in large colonies. Males usually return to nesting sites two weeks earlier than females. The beginning of the mating season is marked by extraordinary activity, including fights. The nesting site is located on a flat area of rocks no higher than 70 m above sea level. The female builds the nest herself, using her paws to scoop out debris from underneath it. The male lines the nest with stones, mud and grass. Eggs are laid in early October, the clutch lasts three to five days, during which time the female does not eat anything. There are two eggs in the clutch, the second egg is larger in size than the first. The eggs are light blue or greenish in color, but later they turn brown. From the moment the second egg is laid, incubation begins, which lasts 35 days. The first egg usually does not survive, so penguins incubate only one egg. They take turns incubating: two to three days after the eggs are laid, the female leaves the nest and the male remains on guard. This lasts three to four weeks, during which time the penguin fasts. The female returns to the chicks during the day to feed them, regurgitating food. In February, the chicks have already fledged and leave the islands where they were born.
Golden haired penguin
Macaroni Penguin
(Eudyptes chrysolophus)
Widely distributed in colonies in southern Chile, Tierra del Fuego, the Falklands, on the islands of the south Atlantic and east to Kerguelen and Heard. Golden-haired penguins are also found in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula. In total, more than 200 breeding sites are known.
Adult golden-haired penguins are 50-70 cm tall and weigh just over 5 kg.
Their colonies are very numerous - up to 600 thousand nesting individuals. They nest on the ground, making very primitive nests. 2 eggs are laid. The duration of incubation is 35 days, with changes of parents characteristic of penguins.
Little Penguin
Little Penguin
(Eudyptula minor)
The habitat of little penguins is the coast of South Australia and New Zealand, as well as nearby islands. The population is estimated at about 1 million pairs.
Height ranges from 30-33 cm, and weight is about 1 kg.
It feeds on small fish (10-35 mm), cephalopods, including octopuses, and, less commonly, crustaceans. Penguins find their food in upper layers sea, diving no deeper than 5 m from the surface, but if necessary they can dive to a depth of 30 m, and the recorded dive record was 69 m. Young penguins usually feed alone, each on their own. It feeds throughout the day - from sunrise to sunset, but its hunting is not always successful. Compared to other species, it is distinguished by a slow metabolism.
The little penguin is a social bird and is considered the most nocturnal of the other species. During the day it hunts or sleeps in the nest. Penguins settle in colonies in which birds of all ages live. Small groups are formed among them, which, at the end of the day's feeding, go ashore, line up in a “parade” and give concerts, after which the penguins disperse to their areas.
Breeds on islands near the coasts, as well as in some wild areas of the South Australian coast. This occurs in August-December, most clutches are made in August-November. The male and female mate close to the nest, which is located in a cave or crevice. In most cases, the female lays 1-2 white eggs 3-5 days apart. Incubation begins from the moment the first egg is laid, but the female can leave, and only with the appearance of the second egg do both partners sit on the clutch, replacing each other every few days. Incubation lasts about 36 days, their chicks weigh 40 g. They are fed for the first 10 days of life, and then for another 1-3 weeks the parents guard them, replacing each other. At the age of 3-4 weeks, the chicks are looked after only at night, and later the parents feed them once a day, visiting them at night. Fledged chicks reach 90% of the weight of adult birds and leave the nest for 2-3 days, and then leave altogether. Both sexes of penguins reach the age of sexual maturity at 3 years. From December to March, penguins moult, during which they stay together. Molting occurs immediately after the end of the breeding season and lasts 10-18 days.
White-winged penguin
White-flippered Penguin
(Eudyptula albosignata)
Breeds only on Banks Peninsula and Motunau Island. Both nesting sites are located near the city of Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand.
Reaches a length of 30 cm, with a weight of 1.5 kg.
Unlike other penguins, white-tipped penguins are primarily nocturnal animals. During the day they sleep in holes on the shore, and at nightfall they go out to sea to return to the shore before dawn. However, on the Banks Peninsula they crawl out of their burrows during the day, but do not go to sea. In the evening, these penguins gather in groups in the sea off the coast and wait for it to get properly dark. Only then can they safely go to sea. The whole group goes to sea at the same time.
Egg laying occurs from July to December, but most eggs are laid from August to November. The female always lays an egg in a hole dug under a tree and equipped almost like a nest. However, the penguin can also dig its nesting hole in a grassy slope or even in a sand dune. Incubation lasts from 33 to 39 days. The chicks fledge and are ready to go to sea 50-65 days after hatching.
Magnificent Penguin
Yellow-eyed Penguin
(Megadyptes antipodes)
The main habitat is islands from the south of the South Island to the Campbell Archipelago ( New Zealand). Also, some specimens reach the Bounty and Antipodes Islands in the east and Macquarie Island in the south. The climate of the penguin's habitat is temperate; it nests in local plants, not far from the ocean.
The height of adult birds reaches 70-75 cm, weight - about 6-7 kg.
The magnificent penguin swims and dives well, but he is in danger in the sea sea lions and sharks. An even greater threat is animals that are unusual for its area and brought by humans: rats, pigs, etc.
These birds do not form colonies and usually nest in separate pairs. Young penguins (at the age of 3 years) lay 1 egg, older penguins almost always lay 2 eggs. The incubation period of the magnificent penguin is 4 weeks. Sexual maturity of birds apparently occurs in the 4-5th year of life. Life expectancy is usually 10-12 years; in captivity, some specimens live up to 20 years.
Adelie Penguin
Adélie Penguin
(Pygoscelis adeliae)
It nests on the coast of Antarctica and the islands closest to the mainland: South Shetland and Orkney. Representatives of the species are extremely rare north of 60° south latitude. From March to October, the Adelie penguin wanders in the ocean, moving 600-700 km from its nesting sites. The main food of Adélie penguins is krill.
Body length is about 70 cm, weight is about 6 kg.
These penguins raise their chicks during the polar summer on the islands adjacent to Antarctica. All winter they swim among the ice floes 700 km from their nesting sites. Having survived the polar night, penguins go to their nesting sites. There the birds build a nest of small stones. Partners, replacing each other, incubate the eggs, alternately feeding in the sea. At the beginning of the nesting season, Adélie penguins migrate from migration sites to nesting sites for a month. At the end of the polar night (early October), birds appear in their nesting areas. The air temperature at this time remains at -40 °C, and the average monthly wind speed reaches 60-70 km/h. Moving to nesting sites, birds walk in groups from several tens to several thousand individuals, in a string, or crawl on their bellies with average speed approximately 4-6 km/h. Each pair occupies its previous year's nesting site and begins to build a nest.
The nesting site of the Adélie penguin is a round area with a radius of 60-80 cm, which the birds remember and fiercely protect it from their neighbors. Depending on the age and “experience” of the birds, their nests vary. For some it’s just a few pebbles, for others it’s several hundred pebbles placed in a kind of “bowl.” The construction of Adélie penguins' nests is accompanied by a lot of noise, because neighbors constantly steal pebbles from each other. It often happens that some penguins trade themselves for extra stone for their nest.
During this period, the birds do not eat anything, even if there is open water nearby. From the first half of November to mid-December, Adeles lay eggs and begin to incubate them. During this period, the colony becomes quiet. Each pair sits within its own area and protects it from other penguins. There are usually two eggs in a clutch, which are laid with an interval of 1-5 days. During this period, the snow begins to melt and the wind strength subsides a little. Immediately after laying the second egg, the females go to sea to feed after a month-long hunger strike. The males remain to incubate the eggs and fast for another 2-2.5 weeks. By this time, the females return and replace the males on the nest. Males return from feeding after 3-12 days. Again, a change of partners occurs on the nest.
The chicks hatch during the most favorable period, when the snow has melted in some places and the sun is shining. At first they hide under their parents, then they stand near the nest, hiding with their parents only during snowstorms. Gradually, the maturing chicks move away from their nests and form groups of 3-4 chicks. Then the number of birds in the group reaches 10-20 individuals.
IN bad weather The chicks cluster together, but usually stand freely. Parents returning with food unmistakably find their chicks in groups and, as a rule, drive away the strangers. As soon as the chicks' molt is complete, they mix with the adult birds. In mid-February to late March, Adeles leave their nesting sites. Young birds are the first to swim into the open sea. Adult birds molt on the rocks for about two weeks, during this period they also starve, since they cannot be in the water, then after the molt is complete they also swim to the sea until next spring.
Chinstrap penguin
Chinstrap Penguin
(Pygoscelis antarcticus)
The habitat of this species is the coast of Antarctica from the American continents and adjacent islands, to the north it is distributed to South Georgia, Bouvet and Balleny. Swims to the Falkland Islands. Penguins are also found on icebergs in Antarctica. The number of individuals is estimated at 6.5-7.5 million pairs.
Adult chinstrap penguins reach a height of 60-70 cm and a weight of about 4.5 kg.
Penguins build nests among stones; the male and female alternately incubate 1-2 eggs for 5-10 days for 35 days. Unlike other species, they feed both their chicks. At the age of 50-60 days, the young begin to go to sea. Adult Antarctic penguins are excellent swimmers and divers; they can reach depths of up to 250 m. Their diet consists of krill and sometimes small fish. Chinstrap penguins can travel up to 1000 km out to sea from their nesting sites.
These penguins are quite aggressive. There are known cases of these birds attacking people approaching the colony.
Subantarctic penguin
Gentoo Penguin
(Pygoscelis papua)
Habitat: Subantarctic islands. The species is widespread in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Kerguelen Archipelago. The subantarctic penguin also nests on Macquarie, Heard and McDonald islands, the north of the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands.
Males reach a weight of 9 kg, and females - 7.5 kg, the height of adults is 75-90 cm. Under water they reach a speed of 36 km/h, which makes them the fastest of all penguins. The diving depth can reach 200 m.
They feed on krill and, less commonly, small fish. Natural enemies species are killer whales, sea lions and leopards. Seabirds do not pose a threat to adults, but they do threaten eggs and chicks.
Nests are made among tufts of turfy grass. The female usually lays 2 eggs, and both parents incubate the clutch for an average of 34 days, alternating every few days. After 14 weeks, the chicks begin to go to sea.
Spectacled penguin
African Penguin
(Spheniscus demersus)
Distribution area - coast South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands in the area of the cold Benguela Current. Lives in colonies. Today the population is estimated at 140-180 thousand individuals.
It reaches 65-70 cm in height and weighs 3-5 kg.
Penguins in water can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h, dive deeper than 100 m and hold their breath for 2-3 minutes. During feeding they can swim 70-120 km in the ocean. They feed mainly on small fish (fry of herring, anchovies, sardines, etc.). The main enemies are sharks, seagulls (for chicks), seals(as a competitor for prey and as a predator) and feral cats (for chicks and eggs in some colonies).
The cries of penguins resemble those of donkeys. A penguin lives 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth at 4-5 years. The clutch consists of 2 eggs, which are incubated by both parents in turn for about 40 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tint. The breeding season is not clearly defined and varies depending on the location.
Galapagos penguin
Galapagos Penguin
(Spheniscus mendiculus)
The Galapagos penguin is unique among other penguins in that its range is not Antarctic and subantarctic regions, not even temperate ones, but located only a few tens of kilometers from the equator Galapagos Islands. The air temperature in the habitat ranges between +18-+28°C, water temperature - +22-+24°C. About 90% of penguins live on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela. The number of individuals is estimated at 1500-2000 adult birds.
Adults reach a height of about 50 cm and a weight of about 2.5 kg.
The main diet is small fish and crustaceans. Birds usually incubate eggs for 38-40 days, alternating male and female. At the age of 60-65 days, the chicks go to sea with the adults. Galapagos penguins nest near the water.
Humboldt Penguin
Humboldt Penguin
(Spheniscus humboldti)
It nests on the rocky coasts of Chile and Peru, where the cold Peruvian Current passes.
Reaches a height of 55-56 cm, with a weight of 5 kg.
Magellanic penguin
Magellanic Penguin
(Spheniscus magellanicus)
The main nesting area is the Patagonian coast, Tierra del Fuego, the Juan Fernandez and Falklands islands. Individuals have been spotted as far north as Rio de Janeiro and southern Peru. It also inhabits the coast of South America north of Coquimbo (Chile) and Rio de Janeiro. The number is estimated at approximately 1.8 million pairs.
Adults reach a height of 70-80 cm and a weight of 5-6 kg.
Life expectancy is about 15 years, less often up to 20 years; in captivity it is possible to live up to 20-25 years. Magellanic penguins feed on krill, cuttlefish and small fish. Nests are made in burrows dug in soft ground. The eggs are incubated by both parents - about 40 days. The family usually incubates 1-2 eggs alternately.
Appearance
Male emperor penguins reach a height of 122 cm and weigh on average 35-40 kg, but the maximum weight of a male can reach 45 kg. Females reach 114 cm in height and 28-32 kg in weight. This is the largest of all modern penguins. The emperor penguin's muscle mass is also the largest of any bird species (mainly due to its pectoral muscles). The plumage of the emperor penguin is black on the back and white on the chest, which makes it less noticeable to enemies in the water. They have a yellow-orange coloring under the neck and on the cheeks. The chicks are covered with white or grayish-white down.
History of study
The emperor penguin was discovered by the Bellingshausen expedition of 1819-1822.
A significant contribution to the study of the emperor penguin was made by Robert Scott's Antarctic expedition of 1910-1913. when a group of three people (including Adrian Wilson) went from a base at Cape Evans in McMurdo Sound to Cape Crozier, where they obtained several penguin eggs, which was important for studying the embryonic period of development of these birds.
Spreading
The emperor penguin travels furthest south of all penguin species. About 300 thousand individual emperor penguins live on ice floes around Antarctica, but migrate to the mainland to mate and hatch eggs.
Until 2009, the number of emperor penguin colonies was estimated at 34 colonies. As a result of studying satellite images of Antarctica (LandSat Image Mosaic of Antarctica), scientists discovered 38 traces of droppings in the snow, which corresponds to 38 wintering sites of colonies, that is, the same number of colonies.
Nutrition
As a seabird, the emperor penguin hunts exclusively at sea. It feeds on fish, squid and krill. Emperor penguins hunt in groups. These groups swim straight into a school of fish and quickly attack their prey, pecking at everything that appears in front of them. They eat small prey directly in the water, and with larger prey they must swim to the surface to cut it up. When hunting, emperor penguins travel long distances and reach speeds of up to 3-6 km/h and depths of up to 535 meters. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main guide when hunting is vision, and not hearing or echo sounder.
Lifestyle and behavior
Emperor penguin colonies are located in natural shelters: behind cliffs and large ice floes with the obligatory presence of areas of open water. The largest colonies number up to ten thousand individuals. Emperor penguins often move lying on their bellies, using their paws and wings.
In order to keep warm, emperor penguins gather in dense groups, inside which the temperature can reach +35 degrees at an ambient temperature of -20 °C. At the same time, the penguins constantly move from the edge of the group to the center and back so that everyone is on an equal footing.
Emperor penguins spend about two months a year at sea, the rest of the time is spent procreating.
The emperor penguin, despite its proud appearance and name, is a very cautious and even timid bird. Many attempts to ring it were unsuccessful, because when potential danger approached, such panic began that the penguins ran away, abandoning their eggs and chicks.
Reproduction
Emperor Penguin Egg
Emperor penguins with their chicks
Emperor penguins begin to breed in May - June, when temperatures in their habitats drop below −50 °C and winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. This is due to the fact that emperor penguin chicks develop very slowly. Breeding colonies of emperor penguins are located on coastal ice, occasionally on the continent. Colonies are located in places with the most favorable microclimate, protected from the winds blowing from the middle of the continent at this time of year, for example, among cliffs, glaciers or in uneven ice. But there should also be open holes, cracks, or areas of ice-free sea near the colony. This is necessary for birds to feed and feed their chicks. In severe frosts, penguins gather in close groups, unlike, for example, Adélie penguins, which keep warm in pairs in a strictly limited nesting territory.
Emperor penguins stay off the coast of Antarctica for about 10 months. The first birds appear on their nesting sites at the end of the Antarctic summer (mid-March to mid-April). Here the birds pair up, accompanying this process with screams and frequent fights. This is how a colony is formed. The maximum colony size is 10 thousand birds, the minimum is 300 birds.
Then the birds calm down, stand quietly in pairs during the day, and at night gather in groups, forming a “turtle”. In May-early June, the female lays a single egg, uses her beak to roll it onto her paws and cover it with a fold of skin on the underside of her abdomen, which is called the brood pouch. The appearance of the egg is accompanied by loud screams from the parents. Emperor penguin egg weight 450 g, size 12x9 cm; the average egg temperature is 31.4 C°. After a few hours, the male, who also has a brood pouch, takes care of the egg. The female, having fasted for 45-50 days, goes to the sea to feed. Males, in case of any deterioration in the weather, gather in dense groups - about 10 birds per 1 m², which helps preserve the life of future offspring. At the same time, approximately 4-8% of non-breeding individuals are present in the colony. The duration of incubation of an egg is 62-66 days, sometimes up to 100 days.
The females return from feeding and at the same time chicks emerge from the eggs. Each female finds her mate by voice. The males, having been hungry for 3 months and having lost 40% of their body weight, give them eggs or already hatched chicks and go off to feed themselves. The average weight of a hatched chick is 315 g. If the chick hatched before the female returned from the sea, then the father feeds it “milk” - a special juice that is produced by the penguin’s stomach and esophagus, or rather the esophageal gland. This juice contains a glycolipoprotein substance, which has about 28% fat and about 60% protein. The chick can survive on this food for several days. For about three weeks, the females feed the chicks with semi-digested food, krill and fish gruel, stored on a voyage by sea, and the same milk. At the age of five weeks, emperor penguin chicks no longer fit in the brood pouch and go to the so-called “kindergartens”, where they spend time huddled tightly together. Adult penguins protect them from attacks by predators - petrels and skuas. Parents find their chick among hundreds of others and feed only it. During this period, the chick can eat up to 6 kg of fish at a time. The period of feeding the chick ends in December - January, at the height of the Antarctic summer. The molting period lasts for 30-35 days, during which the birds do not eat anything, sit motionless and lose a lot of weight. The chicks will become capable of swimming only by January. Then adult and young birds go to sea until next spring.
Natural enemies
Emperor penguins have few enemies, and the natural age of these birds can be up to 25 years.
The only predators that kill adult emperor penguins in or near water are killer whales and leopard seals. On ice floes it sometimes happens that emperor penguin chicks become prey for skuas or giant petrels. It is the latter that poses the greatest danger, since it causes the death of up to a third of emperor penguin chicks. These birds pose no danger to adults.
Notes
Documentary
- "The Tale of the Penguins." Documentary. TsSDF (RTSSDF). 1958. 20 minutes.
Links
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- Russian Women's Football Championship 1992
- Nadezhda (football club, Noginsk)
See what "Emperor Penguin" is in other dictionaries:
EMPEROR PENGUIN- (Aptenodytes forsteri), a bird of the order penguins (see PENGUINS); the largest (length up to 117 cm, weight up to 40 kg) and the most highly polar of the penguins. The emperor penguin was discovered by F. F. Bellingshausen (see Bellingshausen, Thaddeus Faddeevich). His… … encyclopedic Dictionary
emperor penguin- imperatoriškieji pingvinai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Aptenodytes rus. emperor penguin, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – pingvininiai siauresnis terminas – imperatoriškasis pingvinas siauresnis terminas –… … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas
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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 of 1819-1822.
The average body length of an adult animal is 120 cm, weight from 27 to 41 kg. Outwardly, these birds look as if they are wearing a tailcoat: their head is black with a bluish tint, their chest is white, their wings are black, their back is bluish-gray, and their beak is purple-pink at the base. There is a golden-yellow stripe on the cheeks that goes 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 heavy body of the bird in the air, are excellent fins. When diving, the penguin paddles them like flippers and is able to move very quickly in the water.
When hunting, emperor penguins cover long distances, their swimming speed is about 20-25 km/h, and the depth is up to 535 meters, but if the penguins are in a hurry, they can reach 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 guide when hunting is vision, and 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 in raising the wing as in lowering it, since water resistance is greater than air resistance, therefore the shoulder blades of penguins have a larger surface area on which the muscles are attached, compared to other birds. responsible for lifting the wing. The pectoral muscles are developed and sometimes account for up to 30% of body weight, which is several times greater than the muscles of the most powerful flying birds.
Over the years of evolution, these seabirds have perfectly adapted to life in extreme conditions. low temperatures. Wise nature provided them with several layers of warm, durable feathers that can withstand icy winds blowing at a speed of more than 110 km/h at a temperature of -50 degrees. Under the skin of the bird there is a layer of fat, its thickness can reach three centimeters, and this subcutaneous protection from the cold also prevents the penguin from freezing either in chilly water or on land.
To avoid heat loss through the paws, penguins have a heat exchange mechanism through blood flow circulating in the paws. Arteries and veins are located close to each other, arterial blood entering the paws is cooled, venous blood, on the contrary, takes heat from the arterial blood before returning back to the bird’s body. Thus, the temperature of the paws is much lower than the body temperature, the tissues here are much less sensitive to cold and the risk of frostbite is minimal.
Another clear difference between penguins and other birds is their bone density. All birds have tubular bones, which makes their skeleton lighter and allows them to fly or run quickly, but in penguins they are similar to the bones of mammals (dolphins and seals) and do not contain internal cavities.
The emperor penguin is a bird not adapted to flight, but its “flight” from 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 northern 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 densely, up to ten individuals per one square meter, in groups and warm each other with their warmth.
The birds in this incredible crowd move in periodic waves, constantly changing the structure of the group, which allows birds from the outer row to eventually move into the flock. 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 “hermetic packaging”. Every 30 to 60 seconds, all the 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 do not deliberately move in or out of the aggregation.
According to their beliefs, penguins are monogamous, i.e., pairs are created almost for life. If peacocks attract females with their beauty, and deer with tournament victories, then penguins rely on their voice for everything. The male begins to scream and waits for the female to respond to his unique “serenade”.
From this time on, the male and female stay together. The penguins' "flirting" continues for a month. First, the penguin waddles behind the “bride,” and they dance for hours in one place, opposite each other, bowing their heads in time with 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 penguin exchange low bows.
It takes 25 days before an egg is laid, the only one of the breeding season. Emperor penguin eggs are large: 12 cm long, 8-9 cm wide and weigh about 500 g. Their color is white. Egg laying occurs in May-early June.
The male and female greet the appearance of the egg with loud, as observers say, “jubilant” cries. The female holds the egg on her paws for some time, covering it with a special fold of skin on the underside of her abdomen. After a few hours, it is transferred to the male, while the female, having starved for 45-50 days, goes to the sea to feed.
The dad carefully holds the egg on his paws, covering it on top with a fold of his belly, which is called the brood pouch. Even in the most severe frosts, the temperature in the egg does not drop below 33.6 degrees. So the father penguin stands, virtually motionless for 9 weeks. During this time, he eats nothing but snow, so by the time his wife returns, 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, processing fat into a creamy mass. This is the “bird’s milk” that the male expresses to his chick using the mouth-to-mouth method!
In mid-July the female returns. She recognizes her partner by his voice and takes over the baton of hatching the egg from him. And he, having lost almost half of his weight, goes to sea to regain his strength. He will replenish his energy and subcutaneous fat reserves 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 separate from the female at three to four weeks of age. Sometimes it ends badly. And it’s not just about “bandit skuas” or giant petrels. The trouble is that penguins are extremely child-loving. Therefore, a bachelor or a female who has lost a chick is constantly ready to snatch and “adopt” the unwary baby.
As soon as the baby starts to gape, several hooligans immediately attack him and try to capture him. When the parents discover the kidnapping, a real fight breaks out 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 save him, he will survive, even despite serious wounds and spilled blood. If he is forcibly adopted by a bachelor, his fate is sealed, 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.
The chicks are not similar in color to the adults; they are grayish, with a white “face” and a black cap. The first and second downy plumes differ in the length of the pubescence. After 5-6 months, the second downy outfit of the chicks is replaced by feathers. At the same time, adult birds begin molting, which lasts more than a month. The birds spend this period standing motionless in secluded places, eating nothing, and losing a lot of weight. Since January, adult and young penguins go to sea.
The emperor penguin is under protection international community, the penguin population is declining as fewer birds return to Antarctica every year.
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Emperor penguin- the largest and heaviest of modern species penguin family. The average height is about 122 cm, and weight ranges between 22 and 45 kg. The head and back of the body are black, the abdominal part is white, becoming yellow towards the top. Like all penguins, emperor penguins cannot fly. Together with king penguin belongs to the genus of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes). Species Latin name given in honor of the German scientist Johann Forster (1729-1798).
Appearance
Male emperor penguins reach a height of 130 cm and weigh on average 35-40 kg, but the maximum weight of a male can reach 50 kg. Females reach 114 cm in height and 32 kg in weight. This is the largest of all modern penguins. The emperor penguin's muscle mass is also the largest of any bird species (mainly due to its pectoral muscles). The plumage of the emperor penguin is black on the back and white on the chest, which makes it less noticeable to enemies in the water. They have a yellow-orange coloring under the neck and on the cheeks. The chicks are covered with white or grayish-white down.
History of study
The emperor penguin was discovered by the Bellingshausen expedition of 1819-1822.
A significant contribution to the study of the emperor penguin was made by Robert Scott's Antarctic expedition of 1910-1913. when a group of three people (including Adrian Wilson) went from a base at Cape Evans in McMurdo Sound to Cape Crozier, where they obtained several penguin eggs, which was important for studying the embryonic period of development of these birds.
Spreading
The emperor penguin travels furthest south of all penguin species. About 300 thousand individual emperor penguins live on ice floes around Antarctica, but migrate to the mainland to mate and hatch eggs.
Until 2009, it was believed that there were 34 of their colonies in the world. As a result of studying satellite images of Antarctica (LandSat Image Mosaic of Antarctica), scientists discovered 38 traces of droppings in the snow, which corresponds to 38 wintering sites, that is, the same number of colonies.
Nutrition
As a seabird, the emperor penguin hunts exclusively in the ocean. It feeds on fish, squid and krill. Emperor penguins hunt in groups. These groups swim straight into a school of fish and quickly attack their prey, pecking at everything that appears in front of them. They eat small prey directly in the water, and with larger prey they must swim to the surface to cut it up. When hunting, emperor penguins cover long distances, moving at a speed of 3-6 km/h and descending to a depth of 567 meters. If necessary, they can spend up to 15 minutes under water. The more light, the deeper they dive, since their main guide when hunting is vision, and not hearing or echo sounder.
Lifestyle and behavior
Emperor penguin colonies are located in natural shelters: behind cliffs and large ice floes with the obligatory presence of areas of open water. The largest colonies number up to ten thousand individuals. Emperor penguins often move lying on their bellies, using their paws and wings.
In order to keep warm, emperor penguins gather in dense groups, inside which the temperature can reach +35 degrees at an ambient temperature of −20 °C. At the same time, the penguins constantly move from the edge of the group to the center and back so that everyone is on an equal footing.
Emperor penguins spend about two months a year at sea, the rest of the time is spent procreating.
The emperor penguin, despite its proud appearance and name, is a very cautious and even timid bird. Many attempts to ring it were unsuccessful, because when potential danger approached, such panic began that the penguins ran away, abandoning their eggs and chicks.
Reproduction
Emperor penguins begin to breed in May - June, when temperatures in their habitats drop below −50 °C and winds blow at speeds of up to 200 km/h. In connection with such weather conditions Emperor penguin chicks develop very slowly. Breeding colonies of emperor penguins are located on coastal ice, occasionally on the continent. Colonies are located in places with the most favorable microclimate, protected from the winds blowing from the middle of the continent at this time of year, for example, among cliffs, glaciers or in uneven ice. But there should also be open holes, cracks, or areas of ice-free sea near the colony. This is necessary for birds to feed and feed their chicks. In severe frosts, penguins gather in close groups, unlike, for example, Adélie penguins, which keep warm in pairs in a strictly limited nesting territory.
Emperor penguins stay off the coast of Antarctica for about 10 months. The first birds appear on their nesting sites at the end of the Antarctic summer (mid-March to mid-April). Here the birds pair up, accompanying this process with screams and frequent fights. This is how a colony is formed. The maximum colony size is 10 thousand birds, the minimum is 300 birds.
Then the birds calm down, stand quietly in pairs during the day, and at night gather in groups, forming a “turtle”. In May-early June, the female lays a single egg, uses her beak to roll it onto her paws and cover it with a fold of skin on the underside of her abdomen, which is called the brood pouch. The appearance of the egg is accompanied by loud screams from the parents. Emperor penguin egg weight 450 g, size 12x9 cm; the average egg temperature is 31.4 C°. After a few hours, the male, who also has a brood pouch, takes care of the egg. The female, having fasted for 45-50 days, goes to the sea to feed. Males, in case of any deterioration in the weather, gather in dense groups - about 10 birds per 1 m², which helps preserve the life of future offspring. At the same time, approximately 4-8% of non-breeding individuals are present in the colony. The duration of incubation of an egg is 62-66 days, sometimes up to 100 days.
The females return from feeding and at the same time chicks emerge from the eggs. Each female finds her mate by voice. The males, having been hungry for 3 months and having lost 40% of their body weight, give them eggs or already hatched chicks and go off to feed themselves. The average weight of a hatched chick is 315 g. If the chick hatched before the female returned from the sea, then the father feeds it “milk” - a special juice that is produced by the penguin’s stomach and esophagus, or rather the esophageal gland. This juice contains a glycolipoprotein substance, which has about 28% fat and about 60% protein. The chick can survive on this food for several days. For about three weeks, the females feed the chicks with semi-digested food, krill and fish gruel, stored on a voyage by sea, and the same milk. At the age of five weeks, emperor penguin chicks no longer fit in the brood pouch and go to the so-called “kindergartens”, where they spend time huddled tightly together. Adult penguins protect them from attacks by predators - petrels and skuas. Parents find their chick among hundreds of others and feed only it. During this period, the chick can eat up to 6 kg of fish at a time. The period of feeding the chick ends in December - January, at the height of the Antarctic summer. The molting period lasts for 30-35 days, during which the birds do not eat anything, sit motionless and lose a lot of weight. The chicks will become capable of swimming only by January. Then adult and young birds go to sea until next spring.
Natural enemies
Emperor penguins have few enemies, and the natural age of these birds can be up to 25 years.
The only predators that kill adult emperor penguins in or near water are killer whales and leopard seals. On ice floes it sometimes happens that emperor penguin chicks become prey to skuas or giant petrels. It is the latter that poses the greatest danger, since it causes the death of up to a third of emperor penguin chicks. These birds pose no danger to adults.
