Emperor Penguin:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has uplisted Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) to Endangered category.
- Emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest penguin alive today.
- They evolved about one million years ago, and are highly adapted to life in one of Earth’s harshest environments.
- They are found throughout the Antarctic continent and sub-Antarctic islands.
- It is the most ice-adapted of any penguin species, inhabiting pack ice and surrounding marine areas. They spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters.
- Features of Emperor Penguins:
- It is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.
- They also huddle close together in large groups to keep themselves and each other warm.
- They are capable of diving to depths of approximately 550 metres (1,800 feet) in search of food; they are the world’s deepest-diving birds.
- It is a carnivore (piscivore and molluscivore), feeding exclusively upon aquatic animals.
- Conservation Status: IUCN Red List: Endangered
