King penguin - description, habitat, interesting facts

King penguins are understood to be rather large individuals, living preferably in the Antarctic regions of the globe and nearby territories. Usually these flightless birds are found in an area with a sufficient amount of feed. According to external data, the penguins are very beautiful and large, a distinctive feature is the orange shade in the head area.

Description

1. The body penguins are dense, shot down. The body format is rectangular. Birds differ in weight category, their body weight can reach 15 kg. and even more. Such fatness due to the territory of residence.
2. As for growth, it is also not small. Representatives of the royal subspecies grow up to 1 m. In height, the height of individual individuals exceeds 110 cm.
3. Birds are distinguished by a large amount of subcutaneous fat, it helps to survive with a strong cooling.Individuals can stay without food for a long time, if there is none.
4. The head is black, on the side parts an orange-yellow patch is clearly visible. The format of these spots is oval, like a spoon. Pointed beak, fins with back pigmented gray with ashen shade.

Breeding

1. King penguins prefer to build dwellings in colonies, for this purpose they choose solid ground. Typically, housing is located on rocky terrain. The male, ready for mating, starts walking back and forth in the colony and shakes his head. Thus, the females see that this handsome man has reached puberty and is in search of a companion. Periodically, from the male individual there are cries calling for the ladies to come closer.
2. From time to time, clashes may occur between the males who chose to mate one female. They begin to beat their wings, after which the female individual makes a choice in favor of the winner. Then a well-coordinated couple embarks on a dance, the family whirls and lifts its heads high with loud exclamations. Looks impressive.
3. From the side of watching the penguin dances, we can conclude that they are hugging. The birds gently, gently pressed their wings, lay their heads on their shoulders and spin. After completing the dance, the female falls onto the rock, inviting the companion to join. From this moment the pairing begins, which lasts 5 seconds. This can continue many times until both individuals are satisfied.
4. The laying is carried out in the beginning or in the middle of winter, while the female gives only 1 egg. She keeps future offspring on her feet, covering the fold of fat from the abdominal cavity. After that the brooding is carried out by both sexes, the male enters into the matter.
5. A distinctive feature is that the chicks from the early clutches survive, and later the generation dies due to cold and rivalry. If the parents have a late-laying chick, the penguins start mating earlier next season.

Lifestyle

1. Individuals of the group under discussion prefer to get their food colonially. The older generation begins to teach the young of all that accumulated over many years. Birds dive to a depth of 15 meters, they find food there.
2. Penguins eat once in 2 weeks. All the rest of the time, they are warmed by subcutaneous fat from early stocks. For an hour of hunting a bird can stay under water for a duration of 10 to 40 minutes. While individuals are hungry (14 days), they almost lose weight by half. Drink brackish or fresh water, as well as eating snow.
3. By the time of puberty, penguins become unbearable in terms of character. They can not get along with each other, so frequent skirmishes lead to a reduction in the number. Usually clashes occur because of a territorial order, each couple wants to occupy a better area. As a rule, from a couple of thousands to half a million birds gather in a common area.
4. Since these individuals are colonial, they multiply and live accordingly. Most of their lives are in the water, swim fast, dive deep. Walk slowly, can move on the abdominal part, as on a sled. The tail in this case is the steering wheel, as well as the wings.

Nutrition

1. The basis of the diet of the considered individuals mainly includes plankton and some small marine animals.Food of this kind in large quantities is present near oceanic islands.
2. It is often possible to replace that some penguins often regale on small fish and crustaceans. In summer, such animals are abundantly found in the Antarctic.
3. More than 90% of the diet of the considered individuals is fish. Everything else is plankton and crustaceans. During the breeding season, penguins eat up to 7 thousand tons of fish per season. And half could go to the food needs of people.

Interesting Facts

1. The main fear of all penguins are killer whales. It is these predators who constantly hunt the individuals in question. If the penguins do not know whether there are any killer whales nearby, they can pile up on the edge of the ice floe for a long time. This happens until the most courageous one decides to jump into the water. After that jump the rest.
2. It is worth mentioning separately that not all penguin representatives live exclusively in the polar latitudes. There are representatives who feel great in the Galapagos Islands. The average temperature in the year is about +19 degrees.
3. The greatest representatives of this genus are the emperor penguins.Almost all year they live in Antarctica. Moreover, due to the thick layer of fat, such individuals do not really freeze in ice water.
4. Individuals that mostly live in the polar latitudes, can withstand temperatures up to -62 degrees. At the same time, penguins do not freeze at all. This is due to the fact that they contain the minimum number of nerve endings.
5. King penguins are monogamous individuals. In the marriage period, they are divided into pairs and remain faithful to each other until the end of life. In addition, during nesting, individuals show a special thrill to their eggs.
6. It remains interesting that the individuals in question are able to reach a speed under water up to 30 km / h. In addition, the penguins are funny to move on the skid cover, they lie on the stomach and slide on the ice.
7. Presented individuals often hunt fish exclusively in the upper layers of water. If necessary, they are able to descend to a depth of 200 m. In addition, penguins are the only representatives of birds that can move exclusively in an upright position.
8. It is worth noting that not all penguins can be cute.Representatives of the stone species show increased aggression towards all who try to approach them.

King penguins are quite interesting representatives of birds. The individuals under consideration replace their plumage once a year. In addition, these animals do not need fresh water. They drink sea water without any problems. The fact is that they have special glands that filter the salt in the body.

Video: 10 facts about penguins