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Research Paper On Penguins

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Research Paper On Penguins
Emperor penguins

Emperor penguin on iceberg alley in the Vestfold Hills (Photo: Peter Hargraves) Scientific name: Aptenodytes forsteri
Physical description and related species
Emperor penguins are truly amazing birds. They not only survive the Antarctic winter, but they are capable of breeding during the worst weather conditions on earth.
Our research aims to learn more about the penguins themselves (how they live, where they go, what they do, and what they need to survive), and how human activities may impact on their lives and survival chances.
The emperor is the largest of the 17 penguin species growing up to 1.15 metres tall and weighing up to 40 kg.
They can live to more than 40 years. Their closest relatives are king penguins. …show more content…
They have a very small bill and flippers, which conserve heat. Their nasal chambers also recover much of the heat that is normally lost during exhalation. Emperor penguins have large reserves of energy-giving body fat and a low level of activity during winter. They are also very social creatures, and one of their survival mechanisms is an urge to huddle together to keep warm. This huddling instinct means that they do not defend any territory. The emperor penguin is the only species of penguin that is not territorial.
Another special adaptation of the emperor penguin is the ability to 'recycle' its own body heat. The emperor's arteries and veins lie close together so that blood is pre-cooled on the way to the bird's feet, wings and bill and warmed on the way back to the heart.
Emperor's feet are adapted to the icy conditions, since they have strong claws for gripping the …show more content…
Each breeding pair can produce only one chick per year. Emperor penguins breed during the Antarctic winter and only the male incubates the single egg. Should the egg be lost or the chick die there is no chance for a pair to breed again in that season. Chick mortality tends to be high once the youngsters leave the colony and head for the ocean. They have to learn very quickly about predators and how and what to hunt. It is not surprising that maybe only a third of each year's cohort may live to their first
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