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Basic Description of Emperor Penguins

Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the world's largest penguins, standing an average of 4 feet or 1.2 meters tall. They are also the world's heaviest penguin, weighing in at an average of 88 lbs. or 44 kilograms. The fluffy chicks look differently than the sleek adults. Emperor penguins became international superstars with the success of the documentary film "March of the Penguins" (2005).

Chicks
- Chicks or juvenile emperor penguins are covered in fluffy gray down. They have black beaks, black eyes and a black edge between their white faces and gray fuzz. Both sexes look alike. Emperor penguin females lay only one egg to maximize their chances of survival. But, despite this care in such a frigid environment, an estimated 90 percent of chicks die before they are 12 months old, according to Sea World. An emperor penguin female lays only one egg to maximize the chick's chance of survival.
Fledglings
- Emperor penguin chicks fledge, or shed their baby feathers for adult plumage, when they are 5 to 6 months old. By this time, both parents desert their chicks to head for the sea. Fledglings gradually loose their white faces and gray downy feathers. These are replaced by adult plumage. Gray down is first shed on the flippers and belly, up the throat, down the back and on the head. Chicks may take their first swims in the ocean when they still have 6 percent of their down left, according to "Penguins: The Ultimate Question and Answer Book."
Adults
- Both male and female adult empower penguin appear alike. They sport glossy black backs and backs of the heads. Their flippers are black on one side and white on the underside. Their bellies and patches on either side of their heads below their eyes are white and yellow. Their beaks are black, but with a clearly defined yellow edging. Their throats are yellow. Their heads seem small in comparison to their dumpy bodies. Their bodies are covered in a thick layer of fat to keep them warm. This conformation causes them to shuffle or waddle on land, but it helps them speed and twist through water.
Greeting Ceremony
- Emperor penguin pairs engage in a greeting ceremony whenever they meet each other after a long spell at sea, whenever one of the pair relieves the one taking care of the chick or during their mating rituals. The male and females press their bellies together and then bow their heads onto their chests and call. They may stand facing each other with their beaks touching. Their voices are donkey-like. Emperor penguins recognize each other by their voices, claims "Biology of Marine Birds."

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