Transcript Document

Emperor & King
Penguins
The ancestors of Adélie and Emperor penguins
lived in areas of temperate climate (like California
is now). When Adelie (and Emperor) Penguins
adapted to the harsh conditions of the Antarctic
they were able to live where there were far fewer
predators and less competition for food from
other birds than there was in warmer
environments. However, the harsh environment
requires all their energy just to survive.
How do they do it?
• Wings: swimming
• Feet: walking, tobogganing
• Feathers: keeping warm
• Mouth: catching prey
Wings
Penguin wings might remind you more of a dolphin’s flipper and yet
dolphins are mammals and penguins are birds. Dolphins use their tail,
but penguins use their wings (flippers) to propel themselves through the
water using little energy. It has been said that penguins fly through the
water because the movement of their wings is similar to the wing
movements of birds flying in the air. However, unlike air-flying birds,
penguins gain power on both the up stroke and down stroke of their
wings when they are swimming.
Being powerful swimmers is
one of the adaptation for this
environment because the only
food available is in the ocean.
There are no land organisms in
Antarctica for penguins to eat.
Penguin bones in the wing are flat, solid and very strong. Here you
can see the wrist and finger bones. Wing bones in birds that fly are
round and hollow. This adaptation means their flipper will be flat for
better movement through the water and strong for powerful strokes.
Penguin Body Form
The penguin body shape has been described as the most
hydrodynamic* form possible. Scientist have used the penguin
form to design underwater vehicles, torpedoes and submarines.
For penguins such a shape allows them to swim fast if they need
to and over long distances using the least amount of energy.
All of the food for these birds is in the ocean. Being a powerful
swimmer is an important adaptation for these birds.
Emperor Penguin
Identification
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The Emperor Penguin is bigger than any other
living penguin, standing up to 1.1 m tall.
It is distinguished from the smaller King
Penguin by its size, more robust stature, and a
broad pale yellow connection between the
orange-yellow ear patches and the pale yellow
upper breast.
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Males and females are indistinguishable
during most of the year.
However, when it becomes time for the male
to switch responsibilities with the female,
the male can have slimmed down to half his
weight.
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Immature birds resemble adults but are smaller
and have a white rather than black chin.
Ear patches are whitish, becoming increasingly
yellow with age.
Habits
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Breeds during the Antarctic winter from March
to December.
Eggs and chicks are balanced on the feet to
prevent them from coming into contact with the
ice.
No nests are built, which allows the colony to
move around and huddle close together,
providing some protection from the cold.
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The Emperor penguin feeds primarily on
shoaling fish, small crustaceans and squid.
They can dive more than 300 meters deep,
and remain under water for as long as 22
minutes; but these are extremes.
Most of the time, emperors are feeding
down to around, say, 150-200 meters,
particularly in winter.
The majority of their dives last only 3-6
minutes.
Distribution
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Breeds during the Antarctic winter in about 30
colonies around the southern parts of the
Antarctic continent, usually on fast ice.
Probably depends a lot upon polynias – areas of
open water surrounded by sea ice – during
winter.
Distribution
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Little is known about post-breeding dispersal or
migration.
Adults stay close to the permanent ice for most
of their lives.
Juveniles equipped with satellite transmitters,
however, migrated as far north as the polar
front.
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The female lays only one egg; it is too
energetically expensive to rear more than
one chick; and they can only fit one egg
(and later one chick) onto their feet.
Also, if an egg is lost, it cannot be re-laid
because by the time the female returns it is
far too late to try again.
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After the female lays her egg, she passes it
over to the male - though not quite
immediately.
Sometimes females sit on a newly-laid egg
for hours before their mates finally get them:
eggs are very precious commodities, and the
changeover is a very hazardous transition.
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If the male does not manage to scoop up the
egg very quickly, it freezes and the breeding
season is over for a pair before it has really
begun.
So the females are not very keen to risk
losing their valuable egg.
The female travels across the ice to feed in
the fish-filled waters far away in the north.
She spends the winter at sea.
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Chicks grow slowly at first, more rapidly in
late spring.
Once the young are about seven weeks old,
they join other chicks in a crèche, which is
protected by a few adults.
By midsummer, the fledglings are
independent.
They will be ready to breed in 4-8 years.
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Emperor penguins can live up to twenty
years or more; exceptional cases have been
recorded of over forty years, though such
extremes of longevity are rare.
Mortality among the chicks and fledglings is
high, especially after fledging in their first
year of life when the young Emperors must
figure out how to live at sea.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgGL6SbM
fKc&feature=PlayList&p=5BA14B29FE3DF6E
E&playnext_from=PL&index=1
Here are 10 interesting facts
about Emperor Penguins:
 A grown-up male Emperor Penguin can weigh up to
90 pounds and a grown-up female Emperor Penguin
can weigh up to 70 pounds.
 Emperor Penguins can grow up to be four feet tall.
 Most Emperor Penguins can live to be 20 years old.
 Every winter the female Emperor Penguin lays only
one egg.
 Baby Emperor Penguins are called chicks, and when
the chicks grow older they form groups called
"crèches".
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Emperor Penguins survive the cold temperatures of
Antarctica by huddling together.
Emperor Penguins can dive as deep as 1,750 feet in the
frigid waters of the ocean.
Emperor Penguins live in colonies that can be very far
away from the ocean waters, such as 50 miles away.
When Emperor Penguins travel for food they can travel
up to 870 miles in one single trip.
Because Emperor Penguins are clumsy on their webbed
feet they can also slide on their stomach at 4-5 mph.
King Penguin
King Penguin
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Scientific name: Aptenodytes patagonicus
Size: 16.0 kg (m), 14.3 kg (f)
Nest type: in colonies in the open, have
territories but no nest
Favorite food: fish, some squid
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No other bird has a longer breeding cycle than
King Penguins.
They take 14 to 16 months to fledge a single
chick.
During the winter, chicks may be left to fast for
from one to five months (May to
September/October).
Adults can rear a maximum of only two chicks
every three years.
Identification
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The second-largest penguin species, similar in
appearance to Emperor Penguin, but their
ranges do not usually overlap.
Cheeks are dark orange.
The belly is white but the back is paler than
other penguins, more of a grey than black.
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Immatures are similar to adults, but with duller
facial plumage.
Ear patches are pale yellow rather than orange
and the throat is grey-white.
Reaches adult plumage after two years.
Habits
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Dense colonies, which can number several tens
of thousand pairs, are located amongst tussocks,
gently sloping beaches, and sometimes can be
over a kilometre inland.
No nest is built, but pairs still maintain
territories within pecking distance of each other.
At sea, King Penguins are usually found in icefree waters.
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The male king penguin incubates the egg
much as male Emperor penguins, but the
King penguins do this during the warmer
summer season, when food is more
available.
Once the egg is laid, the male will care for it.
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The female goes to the open sea and will
return in about 21 days to take her turn
keeping the egg warm.
The male will only go about 1 month
without food.
The chick hatches in about 54 days.
The chick is cared for by both parents for 30
to 40 days.
King Penguin Chick
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In the spring the parents come back and
start feeding the chick again.
At this time, the chicks starts to grow its
adult feathers and is ready to go off on its
own.
Raising a King penguin chick usually takes
10 to 13 months.
This allows the adults to raise only 1 chick
every other year.
Migration
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Due to the extended breeding cycle some birds
can be found in the colony at any time of the
year.
During winter, adults leave their chicks
unattended and may travel extensively before
returning.
Distribution
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Restricted to the sub-Antarctic belt, well north
of Emperor Penguins.
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The male is solely responsible for the twomonth incubation of the egg during the heart of
winter in almost continuous darkness.
If the female has not returned by the time of
hatching, the male is able to feed the chick for a
short time with a “milk” secreted from the
esophagus.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B71T_Gp
A2AM
Feet
Penguin feet are strong with long nails for climbing over ice and
rock. Many people think they have short legs but as you can
see from the skeleton their legs are long and strong.
The feathers have a hard shell that overlays other feathers to keep
the penguin dry in the water. At the base of the feather is a tuff of
down that hold air against their bodies to keep them warm.
Underneath the skin penguins have a insulating layer of fat
to keep them warm not only in the water, but also when they
are on the ice.
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http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/inte
lligenttravel/2010/03/bus2antarctica-video-therare.html