Our topic today is the reproductive cycle of Emperor penguins.
Emperor penguins live in the Antarctic, and they are the largest
penguin. Each year male and female penguins form pairs.
The pair stays together from March or April to December or January.
A female penguin lays only one egg per year, in May or June. These
are winter months in Antarctica, and it is extremely cold.
After the female lays her egg, she immediately passes it to the
male for incubation, and she leaves. This is because the females
need to return to the ocean to eat, and they often travel up to
50 miles to reach the water. This trip takes about two months, and
during this time, the male penguins incubate the eggs to keep
them warm. The male penguins do not eat during this period.
After two months, the eggs begin to hatch, and the female
penguins return. They bring food in their stomachs to feed the
baby penguins. Both male and female penguins can feed the
babies, so they alternate taking care of the babies and going to
the ocean for food. The baby penguins become independent from
their parents in December or January when they are about
six months old.