The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species, standing around 1.1 to 1.3 meters tall and weighing up to 40 kilograms. It breeds exclusively on the sea ice surrounding Antarctica, forming dense colonies where adults huddle together through winter temperatures that can drop below minus 60 degrees Celsius. As both predator and prey, Emperor Penguins are a keystone part of the Southern Ocean food web, feeding on fish, squid, and krill while supporting populations of leopard seals and orca.
The species is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, with climate change identified as the central long-term threat. Accelerating sea ice loss in the Bellingshausen Sea has already caused near-total breeding failure in some colonies, and a 2023 study published in Nature Climate Change found that all Emperor Penguin colonies could face quasi-extinction by 2100 under current greenhouse gas emission trajectories. Colonies also face pressure from commercial krill fishing, which reduces prey availability, and from increasing human disturbance linked to tourism and research activity in the region.
No projects have listed this species yet. If you run a project that protects the Emperor Penguin, you can add it to Wildlife Connect.
