One of the oldest clans in its family is imperial penguin. The largest representative of the family. Adult males grow from 140 to 160 centimeters high, and weight can reach 60 kilograms (although the average weight of the male is about 40 kilograms). While the adult female is much lower, her height is from 110 to 120 centimeters. The average weight of the female ranges from 30 to 32 kilograms.
Description
The color of the plumage characteristic of this species of birds. Starting from the tip of the beak, almost the entire head is black, with the exception of the cheek region and closer to the occipital part (they have an imperial penguin from light yellow to orange). The black color continues throughout the back, the outer side of the wings to the tail. Chest, inside of the wings and belly of the imperial penguin white. In chicks, the color is almost completely gray, with the exception of the black head, white cheeks and eyes.
Imperial penguins have very dense feathers that protect from the harsh winds of Antarctica, reaching a speed of 120 km/h. A layer of subcutaneous fat is about three centimeters, and protects the body from hypothermia during hunting. A special structure of the nostrils on the beak, also allows the penguins not to lose precious heat.
Habitat
Imperial penguins live only at the south pole of our planet. They live in large groups, numbering up to 10 thousand penguins. The main time of penguins are spent on ice floes along the edges of the mainland. Penguins are equipped, as a rule in natural shelters such as cliffs or large ice floes, but with mandatory access to water. Когда же наступает время выводить потомство, то колония удаляется вглубь материка.
What they eat
The diet of the imperial penguin, like most marine birds, consists of fish, squids, as well as plankton crustaceans (kril).
Penguins come out to hunt in groups, and organizedly swim in a jamb of fish. All that imperial penguins see them during the hunting during the hunt. Small booty is swallowed immediately in the water, but with a larger catch floating ashore and there they already cut it and eat it. Penguins swim very well and during the hunt their speed reaches 60 kilometers per hour, and the depth of dialing about half a kilometer. But the penguins dive so deep only with good lighting, since they rely only on their vision.
Natural enemies
Large birds such as imperial penguin have few enemies in the natural habitat. Danger for adult birds on water is such predators as a sea leopard or a warehouse. On an ice floe, adults are safe, which can not be said about young. For them, the main threat comes from a giant petrel, which is the cause of death of almost a third of all the chicks. Also chicks can become the prey of a shimnik.
Interesting Facts
- In the conditions of the harsh South Pole, the imperial penguins warm by knocking into a dense pile and the temperature in the center of such an accumulation reaches 35 degrees of heat. And so that the whole colony can warm up, the penguins constantly move and change places.
- Penguins do not get nests for the hatching of the chicks. The process of incubation occurs in a fold between the stomach and paws of the bird. A few hours after the egg, the female passes the male an egg and goes hunting. And within 9 weeks the male eats only snow and moves very little.
- After hatching, the male is able to feed the chick, despite the fact that he himself did not hunt for about 2.5 months. This is extremely rare, if the female does not have time at the time of hatching, then the male activates special glands that process subcutaneous fatty tissue into the mass of consistency similar to sour cream. This is what the male feeds the chick before the female return.
