By: Lorelai Klinger & Jennifer Martin, researched by Hal Dittbrenner
December 4, 2024
Scientific Name: Aptenodytes forsteri
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Aves
Family: Spheniscidae
Population Number: ~650,000
Emperor penguins are possibly the most famous species of penguin. They inhabit the freezing waters and icebergs of Antarctica, surviving off of a fish-based diet. They are the tallest species of penguin, with an average height of 45 inches, or approximately 114 centimeters.
Our main method of observing emperor penguins is through satellite imagery. Satellite technology is used to identify and count colonies of penguins. Recently, on January 24, 2024, satellite imagery recognized penguin droppings on their radar, leading to the discovery of a new emperor penguin colony. These penguins have been living undetected in these areas for years. Today, it is estimated that there are 54 individual colonies of emperor penguins.
Due to climate change and global warming, the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) has classified emperor penguins as a near threatened species. As carbon dioxide emissions rise, the Earth’s temperature will continue to increase, and the related reduction of sea ice could affect a variety of species, including emperor penguins, who rely on the ice for survival. Emperor penguins need sea ice to form breeding colonies, forage for food, and avoid predation. Despite their population of about 650,000 individual emperor penguins, there are less than 300,00 breeding pairs. It is vital to their future survival that they have stable ice to breed and raise their chicks.
Though the population of the emperor penguin appears to be stable, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the species is in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future. This has led to the finalization of protections for the emperor penguins, a flightless seabird endemic to Antarctica, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
For more information on the emperor penguin, check out our sources:
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