King Penguin

Most experts out there agree that the body design of the King Penguin is perfect for its needs. What they also wonder though is how many changes that it went through during the evolution process to get to this point. They feature four layers of feathers so that they don't need as many layers of blubber as other species out there do. They are also able to easily move through the water and get around on land. This works to their advantage in many ways including capturing food.

King Penguins live in large colonies and they are very interactive with each other on many levels. They parents take very good care of their young, and they form smaller groups depending on what their role happens to be at that time within the colony. For us, looking in may seem like there is plenty of chaos there but the process is one that works well for these animals. They are very loud though due to so many of them engaging in various forms of communication at the same time. It is very interesting to observe though so do so if you ever have that opportunity.

Experts have recorded many different sounds that these penguins make in order to convey messages to each other. Many of them they already know what the meaning behind them are. However, the majority of them still are under investigation in an effort to fully understand the King Penguin and their lifestyle.

This particular species of penguin is found in areas where the temperature is warmer. They are tall and slender and with the warmer weather they don't require the same amount of blubber as those species residing in the colder areas. These animals are found along the coast of Georgia, in Australia, around New Zealand, the Edward Islands, and Falkland Islands. There are thousands of them belonging to the different colonies in these areas.

Many of these natural habitats for the King Penguins have become common tourist attractions as well. There are areas where people can observe them up close without disturbing their natural habitat. Many people develop a deep appreciation for these animals after such a visit.

These animals eat meat just like all of the other species. They consume large amounts of it each day. Some of the items they consume include krill, various types of fish, squid, and different crustaceans out there. What they will find depends on the time of year and where in the waters they happen to be searching. The will consume foods from the surface first and then dive for it.

They can dive up to 700 feet to find food, and they have to surface for air every 15 minutes or so. They will spend a great deal of their time each day looking for food. They can also swim many miles every day when they need to in order to find enough food to survive on.

They are fully mature from 3 to 6 years of age, and that is when they will start breeding. They do so earlier than the other species of penguins which do so late in the winter. For the King Penguin though this period of time is from September through November. They are also one of the few species of penguins that will find a new mate each year instead of finding one for life.

The females not get pregnant every year though, only about once every three seasons. This can be a problem for them overall population, and a factor that humans need to take into consideration. There isn't really any known reason why there is this delay with conception for them compared to the other species of penguins out there.

When a female has successfully conceived, she and her partner will care for it. For the next two months they will take turns protecting it and keeping it warm. There isn't a nest that it is put in though. Instead they will carry it around on their feet. They will each care for the egg about one week while the other feeds and then switch until it hatches.

The young aren't able to go into the water for the first couple of months of life. This is because they don't have the oil on their feathers for them to get around in the water like they need to. Instead they are fed by their parents so they are very vulnerable during these first months of life. King Penguins are very good caregivers though and always strive to make sure their offspring have what they need to survive.

Even so, many of them are victims of predators and they have a very high mortality rate. On land they have to watch out for birds that try to take the young chicks. Skuas will try to get the eggs as the parents pass them back and forth. They also have a way to get the young when they are vulnerable too.

The waters hold the predator known as the Leopard Seal which is very aggressive in its hunt for the King Penguins. Humans don't seem to be a problem for them other than in the ways of indirect problems such as global warming and pollution of the water. There are about 4.5 million of these King Penguins in the wild so they don't need protective efforts at this time.