Emperor Penguins
By:
Mrs. Long’s 3rd Grade Class
Table of Contents
Characteristics……………………………………3
Habitat……………………………………………..5
Adaptations……………………………………….7
Food………………………………………………...8
How they move…………………………….…...9
How they communicate…………………..…11
Life Cycle………………………………………….12
Greatest Threats…………………………….…17
What are Characteristics of Emperor Penguins?
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperors.html
The Emperor Penguin is the largest of all the
breeds of penguins. A fully grown Emperor
Penguin is about 4 feet tall and weighs about
100 pounds.
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
Ear Patch
and bill
Black Cap
Webbed Feet
Emperor penguins are easy to recognize by their coat. Starting with the
black cap they wear on their head to their webbed feet, they are made up
of a variety of colors. They have a blue/grey neck, orange ear patches and
bill, and yellow breasts.
What is the habitat of the Emperor Penguin?
Ice Glaciers
http://library.thinkquest.org/26442/html/index2.html
Emperor penguins live in freezing cold Antarctica. Antarctica is the
dark continent located at the South Pole. Antarctica is composed
mainly of ice glaciers, snow, and freezing water.
Huddle
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
Emperor penguins have no way to be sheltered from the cold. As a
result of this they stay huddled in large groups the majority of the
time. As they are in their huddle, new penguins are constantly
joining the group. To make sure all penguins have a chance to be in
the warm center, they rotate their spots.
Adaptations
Remember the huddle,
where Penguins go to get
warm? That is one way
they have adapted to
their environment.
Another way they have
adapted is their
waterproof feathers. This
is important because they
spend ½ of their time in
freezing cold water of
Antarctica. Below their
waterproof feathers is a
thick layer of blubber.
This layer of blubber
helps to insulate their
bodies. These
adaptations help the
Emperor Penguin survive
the cold.
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
Food
Emperor Penguins get their food from the ocean. They dive up to
eight feet down to find squid, shrimp, crab, krill, and small fish. The
male and female penguins take turns getting food. While one is
getting food, the other is incubating the egg.
How do Penguins move?
As you know, Penguins spend ½ their time on land and ½ their
time in the water. While on land they move in three different ways:
slide, hop, and waddle. Sliding on their bellies is the quickest way
they move on land. They also waddle, but this is not a quick way of
moving. During the huddle, they hop to constantly change position.
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/empswim.html
In the water is where Penguins really find their
place. They are excellent swimmers and can
travel up to 8 miles an hour.
How do Emperor Penguins
Communicate?
Emperor Penguins communicate in two very different ways. Each set of
mating penguins has a very unique mating dance that they use to
identify their partners out of hundreds of other penguins. The second
way of communicating is through the special sound adult penguins use
to find their young. Each family has its own unique sound.
Life Cycle
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/march.html
Emperor Penguins spend the months January through February
feeding in the ocean. They spend this time feeding to gain weight
and to store energy for the month of April where they march 60-100
miles back to the place they were born to mate.
Egg’s hiding place
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
Once they arrive in May the mating begins. Throughout the months of June
and July the males incubate the eggs while the females are out feeding.
They hold the egg on the tops of their feet and underneath their belly to
keep it warm. If the egg were to touch the ground for only two minutes the
chick would die.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=HmUpMapFmqIGsM:&imgrefurl=http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/supergal/ft/ft01/ft014700.htm&docid=aa7ubANQ2zNeoM&imgurl=http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/Pix/OP/05/FT.0147-00_P.JPG&w=500&h=330&ei=VPhxT_TgL5DNtgfqlum-Dw&zoom=1
In August the females return in time for the
hatching of the chicks.
The months
September and
October are
spent by the
females taking
care of the
chicks while the
males go feed.
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/rookery.html
By November the chicks have started to huddle in
groups with each other and are completely on their
own by December. January starts the cycle over
again!
http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
Life Cycle Diagram
Greatest Threats to Emperor Penguins
Leopard Seal
Killer Whale
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=w_t2oLTbDakNKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.animalseatinganimals.com/2011/03/whale-eats-fallingpenguin.html&docid=rKT9O4-1yJsXsM&imgurl=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0VivvpPH0CA/TYWnSoKMsFI/AAAAAAAADS8/FmzpmP1EipY/killer_whale_eating_penguinsjump-in-air.jpg&w=500&h=332&ei=QflxT-KXEoeItwf8ay5Dw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=344&sig=116661465231745930451&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=173&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=61&ty=55
There are several threats to the emperor penguins from nature and
from humans. Penguins are a food source for leopard seals, polar
bears, killer whales, and the occasional shark.
Penguin Covered in Oil
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=tjR9ATrB8XABhM:&imgrefurl=http://farnham.blogspot.com/2008/08/mysterious-oil-spill-killingpenguins.html&docid=MMUTcoE2XeLYM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WBjGtFQOJDw/SLg6kzjWPkI/AAAAAAAAFW0/r_SDvz1dTYI/s320/penguins.jpg&w=320&h=240&ei=BvpxT_nfMpCltweSu5XxDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx
=472&vpy=234&dur=547&hovh=192&hovw=256&tx=87&ty=119&sig=116661465231745930451&page=2&tbnh=122&tbnw=175&start=16&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:16
Humans are also a great threat to Emperor Penguins. They get
caught in the nets of fishermen as well as propellers on boats.
Another way humans endanger penguins is through oil spills and
polluted water. Penguins have also been killed for their soft, downy
feathers. We should try to reduce the number of threats to these
animals before they become extinct.
Emperor Penguin Acrostic
Excellent Swimmers
March to Rookery to
Perform the mating dance.
Eat lots of krill to gain
weight back,
Return to their mate to
incubate the egg.
Once the eggs hatch, the
mother
Regurgitates their food for
their young.
Playful chicks all around
Enter into their own huddle.
No longer being cared for
they
Gather their own food,
Unless they are eaten by a
predator.
Inappropriate behavior from
humans
Needs to be stopped
So they will not become
extinct.
Glossary
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Adapted: how they changed to fit the environment.
Composed: made of.
Endanger: to put in danger.
Extinct: no longer living.
Huddle: huge group of penguins, gathered together to stay warm.
Incubate: to keep warm until the eggs hatch.
Insulate: to protect from the cold.
March to Rookery: when penguins march back to where they were
born to mate.
Polluted: dirty, unhealthy.
Regurgitate: spit up food that has already been digested.
Tobogganing: the way penguins slide on their belly.
Unique: special.
Index
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Physical Characteristics……………………………..………….3, 4
Scientific Name…………………………………………….……….…4
Antarctica……………………………………………………..….……..5
Huddle……………………………………………………….…..…...6, 7
Habitat………………………………………………………………...5, 6
Adaptations………………………………………………………..…...7
Food………………………………………………………………….…...8
Tobogganing…………………………………………………..……….9
Mating Dance……………………………………………….…………11
Communication………………………………………………….11, 12
March to Rookery…………………………………………………….12
Life Cycle…………………………………………………………...12-16
Threats……………………………………………………………...17, 18
Reference Page
•http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214752/problems.html
•http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01006/penguins.htm
•http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/emperorpenguin/
•http://www.emperor-penguin.com/emperor.html
•http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/birdskids/antarctica-emperor-penguins-huddle-vin-kids/
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