Animals Library: Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin Facts

Emperor penguins were the stars of the Happy Feet series of movies, with Happy Feet 2 released last year.

Revisiting the world of Mumble and touching up on the inherent talents of Erik, Mumble’s son, the second Happy Feet movie bore the same entertainment quality of the first, making it a heartwarming story that is enjoyable for audiences of all ages.

Being the largest of 17 known penguin species, it really is no wonder why Happy Feet focused on Emperor Penguins, a penguin species that is known to stay in the Antarctic all year long. Given the fact that a lot of Antarctic creatures are known to move to warmer climes during winter season, the Emperor Penguin is the only species that stays, “roughing out” the winter frost and cold that comes upon them.

Highly sociable, Emperor Penguins are known to implement a unique tactic in staying warm, huddling together in a group. Though this may not sound much when one says it out loud, but the unique thing about Emperor Penguins is that they actually take turns in being in the middle or center of a huddle, with the practice saying something about their organizational skills as a species.

Also, unlike other birds, Emperor Penguins breed during winter, and unlike most father and mother setups in the animal kingdom, it is the mother penguin who leaves after an egg is hatched, leaving the responsibility of taking care of the young Emperor Penguin to the father.

Once the egg is hatched, the mother penguin then comes back, and does her share in helping rear baby penguins to full growth.

With the harsh cold of the Antarctic, Emperor Penguins are truly built for survival, with a unique hierarchy that works to their advantage. Majestic in their size and stance, the “Emperor” in their Emperor Penguin name is one that is truly apt, with all the given considerations and facts about the penguin species.

Emperor Penguin Facts Video

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We usually watch nature documentaries on TV about wild animals and their natural environments. These shows commonly show us how these animals act in the wild and what they have to do in order to survive. One animal that has fascinated many people is the emperor penguin. There have been many nature documentaries made about the lives of these flightless birds and one of the most notable is the March of the Penguins, narrated by Morgan Freeman. The documentary was co-produced by the National Geographic Society and Bonne Pioche. Luc Jacquet co-wrote and directed the movie, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary feature in 2005.

The nature documentary shows how emperor penguins journey through the Antarctic every year, leaving the ocean and walking across vast expanses of ice and snow to their breeding grounds. Here the penguins go through courtship and if successful, the propagation of their species. It also shows the journey penguins make between their breeding grounds and the ocean to hunt and find food for their chicks to survive.

Emperor penguins are known for their size and color. The tallest amongst the penguin species, they have orange beaks and yellow markings around their heads. As chicks, they hatch with gray feathers that change to black and white as they grow. These penguins are known to use vocal calls to identify their partners and chicks amongst the millions of penguins in a colony. Their diet is mainly composed of cephalopods, fish and crustaceans found in the waters of the Antarctica. These penguins are masters when it comes to adapting to cold and harsh environments. They are also very social creatures, living in colonies and rarely travelling or hunting alone.

Emperor Penguin Pictures