The tallest and heaviest living penguin species, breeding exclusively on the sea ice fringing Antarctica through the southern winter, the only bird species known to breed during that season. After the female lays a single egg, the male alone incubates it, balanced on his feet beneath a fold of skin, for roughly two months through the Antarctic winter's extreme cold and darkness while surviving on stored fat reserves, huddling with other incubating males in tight rotating groups to conserve heat. Emperor penguins can dive deeper and longer than any other bird, reaching depths beyond 500 meters in pursuit of fish, squid and krill, and their breeding success depends closely on stable sea ice, which has made the species a closely watched indicator of Antarctic climate change.
Facts
Scientific Name Conservation StatusIUCN Red List, up-listed from Near Threatened to Endangered on 9 April 2026, driven by projected Antarctic sea-ice loss under climate change (a companion reassessment up-listed the Antarctic fur seal the same day). This atlas previously carried the pre-2026 Near Threatened value uncorrected. Population Estimate Classification
System (Realm) Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Connections
Child Taxon Of
Demonstrates
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
In Biome
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Tundra, Biomes Antarctica's ice-free coastal fringe, where emperor penguins breed, is formally its own polar desert rather than tundra proper, but shares the tundra biome's cold, low-precipitation character; the atlas's founding seven biomes do not yet include a dedicated polar-ice type.
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
In Ecosystem
Source World Wildlife Fund
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Antarctica, originated there.
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.https://www.britannica.com/animal/emperor-penguin
Emperor penguins can dive to depths of approximately 550 metres (1,800 feet).
System/realm (stated plainly in the entity own recorded description)
The tallest and heaviest living penguin species, breeding exclusively on the sea ice fringing Antarctica through the southern winter, the only bird species known to breed during that season.
- Demonstrates: Migration
- In Biome: Tundra
- In Biome: Polar Desert
View the Source 2. Emperor Penguins and Fur Seals Now Endangered as Climate Change Reshapes Antarctica, IUCN Red List Finds (Down To Earth)
Down To Earth (Centre for Science and Environment), 2026Body of the articleQuote, Body of the article
Emperor penguins were previously listed as Near Threatened (NT), and scientists had called for stronger protection by elevating their status.
3. Encyclopedia of Life
4. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica declining faster than thought (British Antarctic Survey newsroom)
Opening paragraphQuote, Opening paragraph
Antarctica's emperor penguin population may be decreasing faster than some of the most pessimistic predictions.
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: SphenisciformesView the Source World Wildlife Fund
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