Emperor Penguin | Characteristics, Height, Habitat, Diet, & Facts

Reproduction

Emperor penguins breed in large colonies. Breeding occurs in late March and early April when males and females return from foraging in the sea. Some 15 percent of adults are capable of finding their mate from the previous year despite the absence of a nest and the tremendous size of the colony.

Breeding is apparently timed to ensure that the long developmental period will produce fully fledged young in midsummer, when their chances of survival are greatest. Consequently, a single egg is laid in late May or early June just before the onset of the Antarctic winter. Incubation is done exclusively by the male, and it is begun immediately after egg laying. In the meantime, the female embarks on a journey of some 80 to 160 km (50 to 100 miles) from the colony to the sea, and she does not return until the incubation period concludes. Incubation lasts 60–68 days through gale-force winds and extremely cold temperatures that routinely dip below –50 °C (–58 °F). With no access to food, the male lives off his fat reserves. He holds the egg on the tops of his feet, draping a layer of skin over the egg to protect it from the harsh conditions. During violent winter storms, members of the colony gather for mutual protection in tightly packed crowds called huddles.

The chicks hatch in August, and the females return to the colony to relieve the males. Each chick stands on the feet of one of its parents until it is strong enough to withstand the cold of the Antarctic ice on its own. The cold, however, is not the only threat to the newly hatched young. The number of “unemployed” adults in the colony increases with the addition of those who have lost eggs or chicks, and such birds have been known to interfere with parents that have young and cause increased chick mortality.

During the crèche stage, in which many young emperor penguins form groups for protection against the cold and predators, the fuzzy down covering is replaced by a coat of short stiff feathers, which are similar in composition to those of the adult but are usually somewhat different in colour. Once this molt is complete, the juvenile penguin leaves the colony to seek its own food at sea. Juveniles become fully fledged in December and January during their first year of life; they will return to the colony to breed starting in their fifth year. Emperor penguins may live 20 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity.

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