Do you want to learn some of the most interesting king penguin facts. The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest penguin in the world. It is found in the subantractic islands as well as South Georgia. King penguins are great divers for they can reach the depths of hundreds of feet under water.
King Penguin Facts for Kids
King penguins stand 70 to 100 cm tall and weighs 9.3 to 18 kg. Females are only slightly smaller than males.
Where do King Penguins Live? They live in Falkland Islands, Antarctica, Crozet Islands, Prince Edward Islands, Macquarie Islands, Kerguelen Islands, South Georgia, and Tierra del Fuego. Crozet Islands are home to the largest population size estimating 455,000.
What do King Penguins Eat? King penguins
feed on krill, small fish, squid, lanternfish, slender escolar, crustaceans, hooked squid, and flying squid.
King penguins are able to reach the diving depths of 771 – 1,000 feet under water. They can swim continuously for 5 minutes before they come to the surface to breathe again.
They can swim at a speed of 6.5–10 kilometers per hour.
The penguin matures at 6 years of age after which the female lays only one egg. The egg is pale green in color. One of the parents looks after the eggs while the other goes out to sea to find some food. The egg weighs only 300 grams.
King Penguin Predators: King penguins have many predators in the Antarctica. Predators include snowy sheathbill, orcas, skua, giant petrels, leopard seal, Antarctic fur seal, and kelp gull. Many of these predators eat king penguin’s eggs.
There are 2.23 million king penguins living in the world.
