ASOC
Fast facts
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Scientific name: Aptenodytes forsteri.
Height: 43–51 inches (1.1–1.3 meters).
Weight: 44–90 pounds (20–41 kilograms).
Average lifespan in the wild: 15–20 years.
IUCN Red List status: Endangered (2026).
Population
EMPEROR PENGUINS
The population of the emperor penguin is changing rapidly as climate change reduces sea ice in key emperor penguin breeding areas. In 2016, a colony in the Weddell Sea collapsed, and in 2022 there was a catastrophic breeding failure in four out of five colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea.
In 2026, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported a decline of approximately 10% between 2009 and 2018, representing a loss of more than 20,000 adults. The organisation also projected that, if emissions continue on their current trajectory, emperor penguin numbers could halve by the 2080s, with some scenarios indicating a near-extinction risk by 2100 (source).
In April 2026, the IUCN updated the species’ Red List status from ‘Near Threatened’ (2019) to ‘Endangered’ (2026).
Range
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Emperor penguins spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in the Southern Ocean. They live further south than any other penguin species, and are the only penguins to breed on the ice and incubate their egg through the polar winter.
Over 60 emperor penguin colonies have been recorded across Antarctica, generally within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the coast. Some are so remote that they were discovered via satellite as recently as 2020.
Despite their adaptations to the ice, emperor penguins may travel north of the Antarctic convergence to feed, and have been seen as far north as the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and Tierra del Fuego in South America.
Identification
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Emperor penguin hatchlings have gray skin and no feathers, and weigh around 0.7 pounds (315 grams). Over the next couple of weeks grayish-blue feathers begin to grow. Young chicks develop a black crown of feathers that extends from their bill over the back and sides of their heads, with white cheeks and a white chin.
Adult emperor penguins have black backs and white chests, with patches of orange and yellow on their heads, ears and upper chests, which fade to white. They have long black beaks with pink-to-orange stripes along the lower mandible. They have stiff black wings, with a wingspan of around 32 inches (80 centimeters)
Feeding
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Emperor penguins have a diverse diet, which can vary depending on the year, season, and where they live.
Emperor penguins dive in search of squid, fish, and krill to eat. Foraging dives generally last 15 to 20 minutes, mostly at depths of around 165 feet (50 meters), although they are capable of diving deeper than 1300 feet (400 meters), staying underwater for over 20 minutes.
They also feed on the underside of the sea ice, where they find ice fish such as bald rock cod. Like most seabirds, emperor penguins store food and regurgitate it later to feed their newly hatched young.
Emperor penguins have been known to dive for over 25 minutes and deeper than 1640 feet (500 m), the deepest recorded dives made by any bird.
Life cycle
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Between March and December emperor penguins return to their colonies to breed as winter approaches. They can walk up to 125 miles (200 kilometers) to reach their rookeries on sea ice or fast ice (sea ice stuck ‘fast’ to the coast or sea floor).
Females lay one egg between May and June before returning to the sea to feed. Their partners remain with the egg, incubating it for 62-67 days on their feet under a ‘brood pouch’.
Males stay on the ice through the winter, surviving temperatures as low as – 58°F (- 50°C), winds up to 124 mph per hour (200 kph), and months of darkness. During this time they fast for around 115 days. Faced with such conditions, they retain warmth by forming dense huddles. This process, which is called ‘social thermoregulation’, allows the penguins to generate temperatures of up to 100°F (37°C) at the center of the huddle.
Life cycle
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Females return to the colony in mid-July to relieve their mate and take over care of the egg, or their newly hatched chick. The parents now take turns foraging at sea and returning to the colony to feed their chick.
Once chicks are capable of surviving alone on the ice both parents go to sea, returning with as much food as possible to support the development of their chick.
Chicks fledge at around 150 days, and their parents prepare for their annual molt, which lasts around one month.
Predators
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Despite being the largest penguins in the world, emperors are vulnerable to predation from both marine mammals and seabirds.
While they are traveling or foraging at sea they may be targeted by orca (killer whales) and leopard seals.
Southern giant petrels and south polar skuas prey on emperor penguin chicks in their colonies on the ice.
Emperor penguins are vulnerable to a warming climate. Researchers warn that without urgent action, they are headed for extinction.
Protecting emperor penguins
ANTARCTIC PENGUINS
EMPEROR PENGUINS
Related reading
References:
Ancel et al. (2015). New insights into the huddling dynamics of emperor penguins.
Shirihai (2003). The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife: Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and the Southern Ocean.
Wienecke et al. (2007). Extreme dives by free-ranging emperor penguins.
Scientific consultation: Heather Lynch, Professor of Ecology and Evolution, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, 2024.
Now that you’ve learned about emperor penguins, read on to discover more about extraordinary Antarctica.
Antarctic Penguins
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