This week, we have been learning about informational texts and how to write them. For this exercise, we learnt about a penguin type of our choice, and took notes to eventually use to write an informational text of our own. The penguin type that I chose were emperor penguins. I had a lot of fun doing this activity, and I hope that we continue to learn about and write informational texts.
Emperor Penguins
The Aptenodytes forsteri. Or more commonly known as the Emperor Penguin, is the largest species of penguin, and our topic for today.
Appearance
Emperor Penguins are a beautiful species of penguin. Adult penguins are very large in size, and have white bodies. They have dark black backs, yellow and white necks, and a dark black face. Emperor Penguin chicks on the other hand seem like a completely different type of penguin. Chicks have all grey bodies, along with a white face. The back of their heads are completely black, and they are adorable.
Diet
Emperor penguins are carnivores. The typical Emperor Penguin diet links to aquatic life in the arctic oceans. They eat a variety of fish, krill, and squid. Adult penguins will then regurgitate food to their chicks as they are unable to eat and hunt food alone. This being because chicks are too small to eat something as big as a whole fish. Although on the other hand, Emperor penguins are a feast to some of their predators. This includes leopard seals, and orca’s (Killer whales) for adults and chicks. Although on the other end of the spectrum, Skua birds hunt for eggs and newborns.
Habitat
Emperor penguins can be located around the coasts of Antarctica. This allows them to hunt for sea life, and swim without having to travel the extremely large continent of Antarctica. Because of the tremendously cold temperature of the Arctic, their large bodies act as a big coat for penguins in general. Penguins cover their feathers with a special oil that keeps them dry. So swimming through the water is no problem for these guys.
Facts
In the water, Emperor penguins black and white bodies serve as a form of camouflage. While swimming, they can dive as deep as 565 meters while holding their breath for a whopping 20 minutes! Out of water, they are the only species who still inhabit open ice in the winter, and if they need to move around, but are out of range to swim, they slide on their stomachs (Tobogganing) on the ice rather than walking or waddling. Like other penguins, Emperor penguins have colonies, and the population in a single colony can vary from a few hundred, to over 20,000 penguins!
Emperor penguins are interesting creatures. Large in size, and at a cute factor of 100, they are one of the best types of penguins and waddle on.
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