Did you know that the scientific name of a king penguin is Aptenodytes patagonica? The adult king penguin weighs about four pounds. Most penguins have a white breast and a black back and head. Many species exhibit red, orange, or yellow patches on the head and neck. Because their short legs are placed far back on their bodies, penguins assume an upright posture.

 

There are 17 species of penguin, each slightly different. Some of the species have nicknames which can cause people to think there are more than 17 species. King penguins breed differently than other penguins, because of the large size of the chick and the amount of time and food needed for it to grow to fledging, the king penguin breeds through the winter. This is different from smaller penguins, who rear their chicks through a single summer when food is plentiful. King Penguins 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 summer when food is plentiful and conditions are easier for the young to survive alone.

 

King penguins have adapted well to their extreme living conditions in the Sub-Antarctic. 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 feather, very effective insulation. A chick is born without the oily outer layer, and therefore cannot fish until maturity 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. Like most penguins, the King Penguin is able to drink salt water because of their supraorbital gland. The gland filters excess salt from their blood stream by ways of a capillary just above the penguin's eyes. The excess salt is then expelled through the penguin's nose in salty brine.

 

Author: Kent M

Published: 02/2007

 

Photo Credit: Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, taken by Sean Mack, with an Olympus C8080W.