Meet Emperor penguins: The largest of all penguins!
We have all seen penguins in cartoons. The first question that comes to mind when you see these cute birds, “Do they even fly?” No, while penguins can't fly, they are swimming champions!
Of all the 18 penguins species that we know of, the emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest ones. They spend their entire lives in and around the Antarctic ice from the moment they are born. In Antarctica, there are about 595,000 adult Emperor penguins.
Most of the times, these flightless birds spend time breeding and raising their offspring on ‘fast ice’, a frozen ocean platform that is connected to the land or ice shelves. Adult penguins have a black and white colour with orange and yellow patches on their heads, necks, and breasts. The male and female are similar in size, with both reaching a length of 39-45 inches and weighing between 22 and 45 kg. They have a sleek body, stiffened and flattened wings that have evolved into flippers for swimming. Their diet mainly includes fish, but occasionally they might include crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. Let’s find out more about this elusive bird.
Origin of Emperor penguins
DNA studies demonstrate that Emperor penguins have been existing from ancient times. The oldest Emperor penguin fossils have been found 60 million years back. These fossils were suspected to be from South America because South America used to be at the edge of the planet and could have been where Antarctica is today. Emperor penguins are thought to have made their first appearances in writing in the 1700s, and the first colony was found in 1902 by Edward Wilson, an American biologist, naturalist, and writer (1929-2021).
Why are they called Emperor penguins?
The name ‘Emperor Penguin’ was coined in 1844 by English zoologist George Robert Gray (1808 - 1872) using the Ancient Greek word components, [a-ptno-dyts], meaning ‘without-wings-diver’. The particular name honours German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster (1729- d1798), who travelled with Captain James Cook, a renowned British navigator, and cartographer, and was responsible for officially naming 5 other penguin species.
Discovery of New Colonies
According to a new satellite mapping technology, there are twice as many Emperor Penguins in Antarctica than previously believed. Earlier, the estimated number Antarctica ranged from 270,000 to 350,000. However, experts from the United States, Australia, and Britain now believe that there are approximately 595,000 Emperor Penguins in Antarctica. According to the researchers, the emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica may be particularly sensitive to the effects of climate change. However, satellite technology helps to conduct a routine continent-wide census in an environmentally friendly way. The researchers claim they can now more effectively monitor the effects of climate change on this iconic bird species with little harm to the Antarctic ecosystem.