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Emperor penguin

Discover this amazing Antarctic bird.

Aptenodytes forsteri, a female weighing 74 lbs.

The Emperor penguin is the largest penguin species, weighing around 30kg. It has an Antarctic distribution restricted to 66˚ to 78˚ South, and is perhaps the only bird species never to set foot on land. Its eggs are the smallest relative to body size of any bird, being just under 1.5% of the mass of an adult.

Like the King penguin, it makes no nest but rests the egg and then the chick between its feet and the belly skin, permitting a small degree of mobility. Accordingly, adults may huddle together in dense groups during incubation, with up to ten birds per square metre, saving energy and maintaining a body temperature (for those in the middle) of around 10˚ C higher than ambient temperature.

Males may incubate for an average of 115 days, during this time losing 40% of their body weight.