Emperor penguin

(Aptenodytes forsteri)

The emperor is the largest living penguin species standing around 120cm tall. They might look a bit clumsy on land, but penguins are brilliant swimmers. Emperor penguins have the deepest and longest dives of any bird, often reaching depths of over 200 metres. One bird has been recorded at a depth of 565 metres.^[1]

Emperors are well adapted to thrive in the freezing conditions of the Antarctic. To preserve heat, they have a dense double layer of feathers – about 70 feathers per square inch – large fat reserves and, proportionally, smaller beaks and flippers compared to other penguins. This all helps prevent heat loss. They also work together to keep warm by huddling up in large groups, shuffling round so each gets a turn in the warm centre.

Populations have declined by almost a quarter since 2009 in a key sector of Antarctica^[2] and one colony off the Antarctic Peninsula has disappeared completely.^[3] The biggest threat to them right now is climate change due to changes in the sea ice they depend on.

Penguin adoptions support our partners at British Antarctic Survey to scour satellite images to find and track emperor penguin populations. Recently, the search resulted in the discovery of four previously unrecorded breeding colonies, as well as the rediscovery of one believed to have vanished.

Despite some positive news, predictions for the emperor penguins’ future remain stark. If ice loss continues, where will these Antarctic icons go? With your support, we can closely monitor how penguins are responding to their changing home, and use our findings to push for global action to slow climate change and buy them more time.