The largest penguin and the only animal that breeds on Antarctic sea ice in the middle of winter. Males hold a single egg on their feet for about two months in the dark, without eating, through temperatures near −40 °C and winds over 100 km/h.
The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest penguin, about 1.1 to 1.2 m long from bill to tail. It breeds in 61 known colonies on fast ice around Antarctica (2020 count). The female lays one egg in May or June and leaves to feed; the male incubates it on his feet for about 65 days through the polar winter, huddling with thousands of others and losing up to 40% of his weight. Emperors dive deeper than any other bird. They depend on stable sea ice, and models predict steep declines as it melts. The IUCN listed the species as Endangered in 2026.
Figures graded and sourced in the fact sheet below.Short answer: It is the only animal that raises young through the Antarctic winter on the sea ice, and the deepest-diving bird.
Short answer: About 1.15 m long, standing up to about 1 m, and up to around 40 kg, though males lose much of that during the winter fast.
Short answer: By splitting the work. The female lays and leaves; the male incubates in the dark for two months; then both shuttle food until the chick can swim.
Short answer: By huddling. Thousands of males pack tightly together, and the whole group shuffles so no one stays on the windy edge for long.
Short answer: To 564 m, deeper than any other bird, and for up to 32.2 minutes. Most dives are far shallower: in the record study only 264 of 137,364 dives went below 400 m.
Short answer: Layers of feathers and fat, small extremities, and heat exchangers in the nose and flippers.
Short answer: The king penguin. Penguins as a group are most closely related to albatrosses and petrels, and lost flight over 60 million years ago.
Short answer: Yes. The IUCN moved them from Near Threatened to Endangered in April 2026. If current emissions trends continue, about 98% of colonies are projected to be quasi-extinct by 2100.
About 1.1 to 1.2 m from bill to tail and up to about 1 m standing, the tallest living penguin.
Dense feathers and down, a thick fat layer, heat-saving blood flow, and huddling in groups of thousands.
About 65 days, holding it on his feet through the Antarctic winter without eating.
The record is 564 m, deeper than any other bird.
No. Pairs stay together for a season, but most choose a new partner the next year.
Yes. The IUCN listed them as Endangered in April 2026, as Antarctic sea ice shrinks.
This page is written by Strange Animals and checked against primary research. Every figure carries a grade and a numbered source. Key figures were last checked against the original papers on 14 November 2026.
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