Newsletter / Blog
2012-02-09 What non-flying bird has the deepest recorded dive?
The Emperor
Penguin at 540 metre or 1,772 feet.
The Emperor
Penguin - Aptenodytes forsteri - is the tallest and heaviest of all
living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica.
They have a lifespan of 20 years in the wild.
Description
It has a
streamlined body to minimise drag while swimming, and wings that have become
stiff, flat flippers. The male and female are similar in plumage and size. The head
and back are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow
breast and bright-yellow ear patches.
Call
They have the
widest variation in individual calls of all penguins. Vocalizing Emperor
Penguins use two frequency bands simultaneously. Chicks use a
frequency-modulated whistle to beg for food and to contact parents.
Food
Food consists
primarily of fish, but crustaceans, krill and squid are eaten. It has been
recorded staying submerged for 18minutes.
Breeding
This is the only penguin species that breeds during the
Antarctic winter. It breeds in large breeding colonies which can include
thousands of individuals. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by
the male while the female returns to the sea to feed. The parents subsequently
take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The Emperor
Penguin population is estimated at about 200,000 breeding pairs and declining
largely due to due to global climate change, habitat destruction and
disturbance at breeding colonies by humans. |