King Penguin

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King Penguin
King Penguins, Edinburgh Zoo
Conservation status
Least concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Sphenisciformes Family: Spheniscidae Genus: Aptenodytes Species: A. patagonicus
Binomial name
Aptenodytes patagonicus Miller,JF, 1778

The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 90 cm (3 ft) tall and weighing 11 to 15 kg (24 to 33 lb), second only to the Emperor Penguin. There is a world population of approximately four million King Penguins, divided into two subspecies (A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli). These populations are thought to be on the increase.

King penguins eat small fish, mainly lanternfish, and squid and rely less than most Southern Ocean predators on krill and other crustaceans. On foraging trips they repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (350 feet), often over 200 metres (700 feet). This is far deeper than other penguins, other than their closest relative, the larger Emperor penguin.

King Penguins live on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, as well as Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and other temperate islands of the region.

[edit] Movement

Colony of King Penguins, South Georgia.

Although the king penguin is a bird it cannot fly, and like all penguins it uses its wings as flippers instead. King Penguins are sleeker than other penguins, with proportionately longer flippers. The king penguin's hydrodynamic body allows it to glide through the water with ease. The famous penguin waddle is an obvious way for the penguin to get around but there is a much faster way, the king penguin just uses its stomach and slides along the smooth plains of ice. This is called tobogganing. However, unlike the Emperor Penguin, the King Penguin lives on rookeries on land that is free of ice for much of the year, and as most colonies are on beaches, King Penguins do not need to travel as far over land as their larger cousins.

Although accurate counts have not been carried out in recent years, St Andrews Bay on South Georgia, has a single colony, which has grown partly due to the increased space available from glacier retreat, which may have 500,000 King Penguins at the busiest times of year.

[edit] Crèche

The King Penguin feeds its chicks by eating fish, digesting it slightly so the chick can manage to swallow it and then it regurgitates the food into the chick's mouth. When the young penguins are large enough, they will often form crèches, a grouping of many chicks together. A penguin can leave its chick at a crèche while it fishes, and a few adult penguins stay behind to look after them. Other varieties of penguins also practice this method of communal care for offspring.

[edit] Breeding

Because of the large size of the chick and the amount of food and time needed for it to grow to fledging, the king penguin breeds through the winter, unlike the smaller penguins, who rear their chicks through a single summer when food is plentiful. They time their mating so the chicks will develop over the harshest season for fishing. This way, when the young penguins are finally mature enough to leave their parents, it will be in the summer when food is plentiful and conditions are easier for them to survive alone.

[edit] Adaptations to the environment

King penguins have adapted well to their extreme living conditions in the subantarctic. To keep warm, the penguins have four layers of feathering. The outer layer of feathers are oiled and waterproof, not unlike the feathering of a duck. The inner three layers are down feathers, very effective insulation. A chick is born without the oily outer layer, and therefore cannot fish until maturity.

[edit] Drinking

Ice and water in Antarctica is primarily salty, making it impossible for most animals to drink. The king penguin’s stomach, however, has adapted to drinking salt water. Its powerful stomach can separate the salt completely, allowing the bird to drink without becoming dehydrated.

[edit] Notable King Penguins

• Nils Olav, mascot and Colonel in Chief of the Royal Norwegian Guard
• The King Penguin is also the species of penguin represented by the popular character Pondus, an image found on various paraphernalia in many retail stores throughout Canada. Pondus originates in Danish children's books written and photographed by Ivar Myrhøj and published by publisher Lademann in the late 1960s. The character has received cult worship in Canada in the Noughties both for being without purpose and being a king penguin.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Aptenodytes patagonicus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

[edit] External links

• 70South - more info on the King penguin
• King penguins from the International Penguin Conservation Web Site
• http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Aptenodytes_patagonicus.html King Penguins from the Animal Diversity Web]
• Penguins in the Falklands
• King Penguin videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Penguin World: King penguin