Emperor penguin
Scientific name: Aptenodytes forsteri G. R. Gray, 1844
Overview
The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 100 cm (39 in) in length and weighing from 22 to 45 kg. Feathers of the head and back are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches.
From the Wikipedia article “Emperor penguin”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 425 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Antarctica/Southern Ocean.
Common names
Names in other languages (12)
- Arabic
- البطريق الإمبراطور, بطريق إمبراطور
- Bengali
- সম্রাট পেঙ্গুইন
- Chinese
- 帝企鹅
- French
- Manchot empereur
- German
- Kaiserpinguin
- Indonesian
- Penguin kaisar
- Japanese
- コウテイペンギン
- Persian
- پنگوئن امپراتور
- Portuguese
- pinguim-imperador
- Russian
- императорский пингвин
- Spanish
- Pingüino emperador
- Turkish
- İmparator penguen
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — measurements, names in other languages. Q161829, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Emperor penguin”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Ian Duffy from UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Sébastien Bruchet, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026