# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Polar bears are the top predator in the Arctic marine ecosystem. The polar bear's body requires a diet based on large amounts of seal fat, making it the most carnivorous member of the bear family.

Food can be hard to come by for polar bears for much of the year. The bear puts on most of its yearly fat reserves between late April and mid-July to maintain its weight in the lean seasons.

The food-free season can last 3 to 4 months - or even longer in areas like Canada's Hudson Bay. As the Arctic warms due to climate change, the ice pack is forming later in the season, and bears must wait longer to begin hunting again.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Polar bears are the top predator in the Arctic marine ecosystem. The polar bear's body requires a diet based on large amounts of seal fat, making it the most carnivorous member of the bear family. Food can be hard to come by for polar bears for much of the year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Animal adaptation to the tundra climage - Tundra regions of the world - 3rd level Geography Revision - BBC Bitesize

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the climate of tundra regions and how plants and animals have adapted to survive. A BBC Bitesize Scotland Geography guide for Third Level CfE.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WWF's work

WWF is working with researchers to track polar bears in the Arctic to understand the impact that climate change and other threats are having on them as well as helping to monitor their health.

We're also advocating for governments to recognise and mitigate the effects of a changing Arctic on these bears.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover fascinating facts about polar bears and find out about our work with tracking polar bears in the Arctic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ready for an icy adventure, gang? Here at National Geographic Kids we're heading north - far north! - to meet one of nature's toughest animals in our 10 facts about polar bears...
Ten polar bear facts

1) Polar bears are found in the frozen wilds of the Arctic, in Canada, Alaska (US), Greenland, Russia and Norway.

2) These are seriously big bears, gang. Adult polar bears can measure over 2.5m long and weigh around 680kg. Their huge size and weight make them the largest living carnivores (meat eaters) on Earth!

(AD)

3) Polar bears are well adapted to survive in one of the harshest environments on our planet. As well as their thick fur, they have a layer of fat, called blubber, that insulates (protects) their bodies from the frosty air and near-freezing water. Polar bears also have black skin under their glistening coat, which helps them soak up the Sun's rays and keep warm.

4) These magnificent mammals have an incredible sense of smell which they use to track their favourite grub, seals*. In fact, their sense of smell is so good, they can sniff out prey from up to 16km away!

5) Despite their size and bulk, polar bears are excellent swimmers, and have been spotted in waters over 100km offshore. They can comfortably swim at around 10km/h using their slightly webbed, 30cm wide paws like paddles in the water.

6) Although good swimmers, polar bears aren't quick enough to reliably catch seals in open water. Instead, they depend on the ice as a hunting platform. They wait near seal breathing holes or at the ice's edge for a seal to surface. They then snatch it from the sea and...gulp!

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable polar bear primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

7) Did you know that a polar bear's fur isn't white? It's actually transparent with a hollow core that reflects light. This helps the bears blend in with their surroundings - a useful trick, especially when hunting wary seals!

8) Female polar bears give birth to their cubs in snow dens (in November or December), where the family is protected from the harsh Arctic environment. At birth, the cubs are only around 30cm long and weigh around half a kilogram - that's about the same as a guinea pig!

9) The polar family emerge from the den four to five months later. The cubs will stay with their mother for about two years, during which time they learn the skills needed to survive in the Arctic.

10) Sadly, these incredible creatures are classified as " vulnerable". The biggest threat to polar bears is climate change. Rising global temperatures means that sea ice is melting earlier and forming later each year, leaving polar bears less time to hunt for food. But the good news is you can help these amazing animals! Check out NG Kids' Five Top Conservation Tips for some environment-saving ideas.

*Polar bears occasionally feed on other arctic marine mammals, too, including whales, walruses and narwhals.

Did you enjoy our 10 facts about polar bears? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 facts about polar bears! | National Geographic Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join us here at Nat Geo Kids to discover our top facts about polar bears! Where they live, what they eat, and how they survive the in freezing temperatures!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Animal adaptation to the tundra climage - Tundra regions of the world - 3rd level Geography Revision - BBC Bitesize

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the climate of tundra regions and how plants and animals have adapted to survive. A BBC Bitesize Scotland Geography guide for Third Level CfE.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Not far from the North Pole, the world is frozen for thousands of miles. Suddenly a snowy mound wiggles and reveals two dark eyes. The lump is transformed into the furry white body of a lone arctic fox. The canine casually shakes the blanket of snow off her thick coat-the key to her survival. But warm fur alone might not keep this fox alive during the polar winter, when temperatures rarely get above zero degrees Fahrenheit. Until spring arrives, this arctic fox will rely on some freeze-defying strategies, making it a champion of the cold.

BUILT FOR THE ARCTIC

Arctic foxes live on the land and sea ice within the Arctic Circle. Winter in the Arctic is unlike winter in most parts of the world. From October to February, the sun never rises to shine warmth and light.

Luckily, these small foxes have some useful adaptations for living in the icy Arctic. Their thick fur coat keeps the fox's body at a toasty 104°F. Their long, fluffy tails act like a blanket, keeping the fox warm when it wraps the tail around its body to sleep.

Their feet also have a layer of thick fur, like built-in snow boots. This helps muffle an arctic fox's footsteps, making it harder for prey to hear them. And their white coats make it difficult for predators such as wolves, polar bears, and golden eagles to spot them among the ice and snow.

FINDING FOOD

When it's not trying to keep warm or avoid predators, an arctic fox is on the hunt for food. They prefer to eat small rodents called lemmings, but when times are tough they'll eat whatever they can find: insects, berries, and even the droppings of other animals. Sometimes an arctic fox will follow a polar bear on a hunting trip and eat the bear's leftovers.

If a fox can't find food, or if the weather gets really bad, it can dig a snow den and hunker down for up to two weeks. As long as a fox is warm, it can slow down its heart rate and metabolism, which helps the animal save energy so it doesn't have to eat as much. It's sort of like how bears hibernate, but for a shorter period of time.

Once the animal emerges from its den, it'll try to hunt again. With food in its belly, the arctic fox has a better chance of making it through another long, dark winter.

ARCTIC FOX FAST FACTS

* An arctic fox can smell a seal den a mile away.

* Arctic foxes can be white, brown, or even blueish-gray. Its color depends on the time of year.

* Arctic fox dens are used for generations-some are as old as 300 years.

* These foxes have small ears. That reduces heat loss because less is exposed to the cold.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Not far from the North Pole, the world is frozen for thousands of miles. Suddenly a snowy mound wiggles and reveals two dark eyes. The lump is transformed into the furry white body of a lone arctic fox. The canine casually shakes the blanket of snow off her thick coat-the key to her survival.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Medium sized toothed whales with just the single long tusk is present in males and about 15% of females. Animals of the far north and the original unicorns.

narwhal facts Basics

Average Weight: 800 - 1,600 kg (1,800 - 3,500 pounds)

Average Length: 395 to 550 cm long (13 - 18 feet) not including the tusk which is 150 - 310 cm (4.9 - 10.2 feet). Males are slightly larger than females usually it is males that have a tusk.2.6m

Breeding Season: Narwhals breed at the end of the winter out in deep water, gestation lasts for about 14-16 months and the following summer calves are born in shallow water where the whales migrate to in the summer months. They have one calf every 3 years or so and become reproductive after 5 years for females and 8 years for males.

Estimated world population: 75,000

Feeding & diet: A limited range of fish, Greenland halibut, Arctic cod, polar cod, squid and shrimp with occasional others. Other than the tusk narwhals are toothless, no-one has seen them feeding in the wild as it happens in the depths of icy seas but it is thought they ingest their prey with a powerful suck. It is by looking at the stomach contents of dead narwhals that their diet has been determined and also their dive depth as some fish species they feed on are only found below certain depths.

Conservation status: Near threatened.

Distribution: High Arctic Ocean, unlike many other whales they don't migrate away from this region remaining through the winter months. Most are found in the fjords of North Eastern Canada and Western Greenland.

Predators: Killer whales (orcas) and polar bears. The bears may kill them at leads or polynyas in the winter sea ice by reaching them with their sharp claws when they have to surface to breathe at a possibly shrinking open water area. They are also hunted by Inuit around the Arctic as they have been for hundreds, possible thousands of years.

Distribution range of narwhals

What are Narwhals like? how do they survive?

Narwhals are warm blooded air breathing mammals that give birth to live young that suckle on milk. They belong to a group called the Cetaceans that includes the large baleen whales such as blue and humpbacks and also smaller toothed whales like orcas, dolphins and porpoises. Narwhals are medium sized toothed whales although they don't have any teeth other than the tusk, there are vestigial teeth when they are young, but these never erupt and disappear before maturity.

Narwhals are very difficult to study as they are large fast swimming animals that live in very cold seas in very remote parts of the world. It is difficult and costly to get to where they live and difficult and costly to find out much about them when you are there, consequently their biology is not very well known. Inuit people's hunt narwhals for food which provide some specimens that may be studied to provide information about them. They can also be tracked by satellite transmitters attached to their backs.
Narwhals live in groups of 10-100 individuals though can sometimes form much larger groups.
The most obvious and striking feature of narwhals is the tusk. This is an elongated canine tooth and is mainly found in males though around 15% of females also have a tusk albeit shorter and with a less pronounced spiral. The tusk is the left upper canine tooth and has a fairly tight left handed spiral which is thought to keep the tusk straight as it grows rather than curving as in other animals with tusks such as elephants and pigs which would cause problems when swimming. Very occasionally a male will grow two tusks, one from each side though the right tusk also has a left hand spiral rather than being a mirror image as might be expected, around 1 in 500 male narwhals have two tusks. The tusks don't grow out below the lip, they actually grow entirely horizontally in relation to the skull so actually break through the upper lip rather than emerging from the mouth as do other animals tusks.

While the tusk is essentially a tooth it has a structure rather different to that of a typical tooth being sort of inside-out with the outside being porous and the hard, usually external enamel layer in the center the opposite way to your teeth. There is a pulp at the very center (like other mammalian teeth) which has blood vessels and nerves and in the order of ten million channels that allow sea-water to enter the tusk.

The purpose of the tusk was for a long time unknown or at least unproven. That only males always have fully developed tusks indicates that there is some element of sexual selection in its function in that the tusk somehow enables males to compete for access to females. There is no evidence to show that male narwhals use the tusks to fence in duels with each other as once thought, though males have been seen touching their tusks with other males in non-combative interactions. It is possible that the tusks are largely for show only when it comes to mate selection like a peacock's tail. It has been suggested that they may be used to break ice or spear prey (how will it get it off?) though there is no evidence for either of these things.

What has relatively recently been found is that the tusks are highly sensitive sense organs thanks to all those tiny little channels. They will be able to detect water pressure (and so depth), temperature and salinity. However discovering the role of the tusk as a sense organ raises as many questions as it answers, if it is so sensitive and so useful, then why don't females always have one? Anything that could aid finding food would be of more value to females than males as they need the extra nutrition during pregnancy and during suckling.
Historically
From Viking times and through to the Middle Ages in Europe narwhal tusks were thought to be the horns of unicorns. Merchants kept their true origin secret and they were sold for huge prices, up to ten times the equivalent weight in gold thanks to their reputed magical powers. They were thought to neutralize any poison and so were used to make drinking goblets, they could also cure melancholia (they couldn't really), powdered unicorn horn was a vital part of a physicians medicine chest.

Queen Elizabeth of England was given a unicorns (narwhals) horn in the 1500's worth Â£10,000 at the time, the price of a small castle. They were sometimes used in the thrones and crown jewels of European Royalty.

Narwhal skull with two tusks

Austrian Imperial Crown Jewels - Narwhal tusk staff to sceptre

Narwhal tusk mounted as a unicorn horn - Cieszyn muzeum Poland
Narwhal Adaptations:

Low surface area to volume ratio (anatomical) - Being large means it is easier to stay warm by retaining heat generated by the metabolism, narwhals have a clean shape with only the flippers adding much extra surface area.

Thick blubber layer under the skin for insulation (anatomical and physiological) - Blubber or fat is an excellent source of insulation, it also provides a means of storing food when times are good and there is plenty to eat as well as providing buoyancy. Narwhals live in water that is at a fairly steady temperature around freezing point all year round. Any other mammal other than whales or seals would eventually get too cold and die of hypothermia in these conditions. Whales such as narwhals live their whole lives in frigid water being always able to maintain a constant warm mammalian body temperature. Blubber can make up 40% of a narwhals mass.

Countercurrent heat exchanger in the flippers (anatomical and physiological) - A close arrangement of the arteries entering the flippers and the veins leaving the flippers means that warm blood entering is cooled down by the cold blood leaving. In this manner warmth is contained within the body cavity rather than being lost to the high surface area - low volume of the flipper. In warmer waters and after exertion that generates excess heat that must be lost, the countercurrent exchanger can be made to work less efficiently so allowing the flippers to dump heat into the sea.

Diving physiology (physiological and anatomical) - Whales and seals have a number of adaptations that allow them to dive deep beneath the sea for extended time periods, narwhals can dive to 1,500m (4,900 feet) and stay submerged for up to 25 minutes.

The lungs are collapsed lungs on diving with only the minimum of air held in the respiratory system. This prevents any retained air (or more specifically the nitrogen in that air) from being forced into the blood under pressure at depth and coming out again on resurfacing so resulting in the "bends" which can be damaging or even fatal.

Bradycardia, the slowing down of the heart considerably from the normal rate. Blood is directed only towards the vital organs such as the brain and heart and to the swimming muscles and those associated with catching prey. The rest of the body is largely bypassed for the duration of the dive to retain oxygen for immediately necessary purposes only.

Large amounts of myoglobin in the swimming muscles to store oxygen for use during a dive. Myoglobin is a large protein molecule similar to haemoglobin that carries oxygen in the blood. Haemoglobin gives up its oxygen before myoglobin does, so once the haemoglobin source of oxygen is exhausted, then myoglobin gives up its oxygen to the muscles enabling them to work efficiently for longer. large amounts of myoglobin in diving animals makes their muscle a deep red colour.

Oxygen loading and ridding of carbon dioxide before a deep and long dive. Long deep breaths are taken while at rest before diving to clear dissolved CO2 from the blood and load up haemoglobin and myoglobin with oxygen before the dive to enable a longer period before the next breath.

Smooth streamlined shape to enable easy movement through the water (anatomical) - The tail flippers are held separately from the body (as in many aquatic animals) which means that the tail can act as a unique entity for generating thrust away from the body which has its own hydrodynamic shape. The tail is connected to the body by a narrow region only to allow this.

Nostrils on top of the head forming a blow hole (anatomical) - In common with other Cetaceans narwhals have a blow-hole on top of the head making breathing easier when swimming and surfacing

Migration towards shallower water around coasts in the summer when the females give birth and then further offshore in the winter (behavioural) - In the winter narwhals move offshore into deeper water where they live amongst open water leads, long strips of ice free areas through the thick pack ice or in polynyas, pools of open water kept that way by wind and tide or even the continued movement of the whales living within them.

Narwhal video 2 mins 12 secs, National Geographic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Narwhals of the Arctic Facts and Adaptations - Monodon monoceros

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Medium sized toothed whales with just the single long tusk is present in males and about 15% of females. Animals of the far north and the original unicorns. narwhal facts Basics Average Weight: 800 - 1,600 kg (1,800 - 3,500 pounds) Average Length: 395 to 550 cm long (13 - 18 feet) not including the tusk which is 150 - 310 cm (4.9 - 10.2 feet).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One Earth's "Species of the Week" series highlights an iconic species that represents the unique biogeography of each of the 185 bioregions of the Earth.
Narwhals ( Monodon monoceros) stand out for their beautiful tusks. In medieval times, greedy kings and queens would seek out and buy narwhal tusks, considering them to be magical unicorn horns, sparking the legend.

For the Inuktitut nation, they are revered and considered "the ones that point to the sky," Qilalugaq gernertaq.

Life in the cold waters of the Arctic

With an estimated population of around 100,000, narwhals are mostly found around the fjords, or narrow glacier inlets, of Northeastern Canada, Greenland, and the Arctic Ocean's Atlantic sector.

Female narwhals are slightly smaller than males, weighing up to 1,550 kilograms (3,417 lb), while males can reach weights of up to 1,900 kilograms (4,188 lb). Over 40% of their body weight comprises fat or blabber under the skin.

Their body length is about five meters (16 ft) for females and five and a half meters (18 ft) for males. Tusks measure between 1.5 and 2.5 meters long (5-8 ft).

Unicorns of the sea

The tusk is actually a single tooth. Vestigial teeth exist in the early stages of maturity but never erupt and disappear before adulthood. On rare occasions, both the left and right front teeth develop into tusks.

Every male has a tusk, and about 15% of females do too. The tusk unfolds in a tight, leftward spiral that takes about five years to complete from the age of about two or three. The slowly spiraling tooth grows through the lip and not beneath it - as tusks in other mammals, such as elephants.

Tusks are used to sense water

Recent biological research shows that tusks are susceptible organs that provide relevant information about their surroundings. Narwhals can map out their favorite feeding, breeding, and wintering grounds based on the waters' depth, temperature, and salinity.

What makes Narwhal tusks so sensitive are the thousands of little pores on the surface. These channel water inwards towards the hard enamel that protects the core, where blood vessels and nerves run from the tip to the brain.

Adapted for deep-sea diving

Narwhals have many body adaptations to the cold Arctic waters. Some are anatomical. Their size and shape retain heat generated by cellular metabolism, and the thick blubber layer under the skin helps with insulation.

Other body adaptations are physiological. Arteries and veins in flippers run next to each other, so the arteries irrigating outwards warm up blood coming back into the body.

Aside from swimming in freezing waters, narwhals can remain deep below for almost half an hour. Nearly two decades ago, Kristin Laidre, a marine ecologist, attached sensors to the blubber and cartilage on the back of fourteen narwhals in Baffin Bay, Greenland. She determined they could dive as deep as 1,800 meters, practically reaching the sea floor.

Such depths are achieved through body chemistry

Such deep diving skills are thanks to their blood's hemoglobin and the muscle tissue's myoglobin, which is actively loaded with oxygen. Narwhals take long deep breaths during the resting time between dives, which replaces carbon dioxide with oxygen.

When they are ready to dive, their lungs expel all the air to avoid any nitrogen gas molecules from being forced into the blood system, which could be very harmful. While they are deep down, most organs in the body are bypassed in terms of blood irrigation. Only the vital organs, such as the brain and the heart, the tail, flippers, and the swallowing muscles, are irrigated.

After the first fifteen minutes, once the hemoglobin in the blood has been used by metabolic cells, the myoglobin begins to release its oxygen to the muscle tissues in need. This enables them to have a more efficient dive that lasts twenty-five minutes!

Ancestry and bonding with belugas

Narwhals have been around for some five million years, and they share a common, fully-toothed ancestor with beaked whales, sperm whales, and a few dolphin species. Their closest relative is the beluga, as they are the only two living members of the Monodontidae family that lack a dorsal fin, which may be an adaptation for swimming under sea ice.

The narwhal and the beluga are also the only cetaceans that dwell within the Arctic pack ice year-round. While other whales make long journeys to breed and give birth in warmer waters, narwhal and beluga pods make only relatively brief migratory trips to their wintering grounds between Canada and Greenland.

Recent studies have confirmed what the Inuktitut have known for a long time: that the beluga and narwhals can interbreed. Female belugas can give birth to narluga calves. This interbreeding may become more common as their mating and feeding grounds overlap.

Reproduction, aging, and life in pods

Narwhals' gestation is 14 to 16 months long. They breed at the end of winter, around March, and give birth at the beginning of the following summer in shallow waters along the coast of Peel Sound and Northern Hudson Bay, all the way to Ellesmere Island. Calves get breastfed by their mothers for about a year.

Narwhals live to at least twenty-five years and can continue living until they are about fifty years old. Their skin color gradually changes from brownish-gray to dark black spots. Later, they lighten until they become white with black mottles on the head, flippers, dorsal ridge, and flukes.

Pods can hold anywhere between two and a dozen individuals during winter. When the waterways open up in summer due to the ice melting, they can concentrate large, dispersed groups of hundreds to thousands.

Indigenous-led conservation efforts

Biological and ecological information about narwhals has been collected over the decades, primarily thanks to the Inuktitut who live in the Arctic circle. They have traditionally needed to hunt narwhals, among other animals, to provide their family with food through the winter. Their hunting skills are always helpful to marine biologists, some of whom come from the Inuktitut nation.

Currently, the narwhal's conservation status is Special Concern. The Marine Protection Act safeguards them, but they are threatened by climate change and melting ice.

Efforts to create safe grounds have been ongoing for over two decades thanks to the initiative of Native Nations in the Nunavut Territory in Canada. In 2017. the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, the Government of Canada, and Nunavut celebrated an agreement on a boundary for the Tallurutiup Imanga / Lancaster Sound National Marine Conservation Area.

Such conservation programs continue to this day to protect narwhals, so these majestic unicorns of the sea remain ruling the icy waters of the Arctic.

Explore the Bioregions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet the narwhal, the long-toothed whale that inspired worldwide legends | One Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Adapted to life in the Arctic, narwhals use their signature tusks to sense water depth, temperature, and salinity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The narwhal is an odontocete or toothed whale, but is different from all other toothed whales in that it has no teeth in its mouth. Instead, male narwhals have a single long, straight tooth (or tusk) that protrudes two to three meters out of the upper left jaw. Females almost never have a tusk. The tooth grows in a counterclockwise spiral.

It is this tusk for which narwhals are best known. There are many legends about the tusk of the narwhal - it is essentially the origin of the myth of the unicorn as European whalers that were in the Arctic would catch narwhals and bring tusks back to Europe with great stories about what kind of animals the tusks were attached to. But in terms of the biology of the animal, the tusk is actually used for social structure, to establish dominance hierarchies and ranks of males within narwhal pods.

Narwhals have a black and white mottled skin pattern and are white underneath. This coloration contributed to their name. The old Norse prefix "Nar" means "corpse" and "hval" means "whale." Thus, "corpse whale" refers to how their skin color resembles that of a drowned sailor. The scientific name for these whales, Monodon monoceros, means "one tooth, one horn."

Not very much is known about narwhals, largely because they are difficult to study: They live in remote places, far from civilizations, in a habitat that is dark for half the year, covered in ice for half the year, and not easy to access.

We do know that narwhals have adapted to be one of the deepest diving marine mammals, capable diving to depths of more than 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) and able to spend a large amount of their time below 800 meters (2,625 feet). Not many animals can sustain such intense pressures below the surface of the water and stay under the water for so long.

The primary prey of narwhals include Greenland halibut, polar and Arctic cod, shrimp, and Gonatus squid. They change their diets seasonally, feeding intensely in the winter and eating little during the ice-free summer season. This feeding pattern is opposite of other sub-Arctic whale species, who tend to migrate south in the winter and feed in the summer. Scientists believe the narwhal's intense winter feeding period may be an adaptation to relatively low productivity in the high Arctic summering areas or perhaps a behavioral trait to avoid competition with lower latitude whales feeding in summer.

Narwhals, like all marine mammals, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The narwhal is an odontocete or toothed whale, but is different from all other toothed whales in that it has no teeth in its mouth. Instead, male narwhals have a single long, straight tooth (or tusk) that protrudes two to three meters out of the upper left jaw.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Emperor penguins spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survive-breeding, raising young, and eating-by relying on a number of clever adaptations.

These flightless birds breed in the winter. After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves! Each penguin egg's father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy. There the males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms.

Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate, or bring up, to feed the now hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take over care of the chicks for a while.

As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups of chicks called crèches while they leave to fish. There is a reason for the timing of emperor penguins' hatching. By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites. Now the chicks are old enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food.

Check out the book Penguins vs. Puffins for more about these amazing birds!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Emperor penguins spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survive-breeding, raising young, and eating-by relying on a number of clever adaptations. These flightless birds breed in the winter. After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Are you wrapped up warm? We sure hope so - because Nat Geo Kids is off to the icy Antarctic to catch up with our penguin pals! Check out our top ten facts about emperor penguins...
Emperor penguin facts

1. Emperor penguins are truly beautiful birds. Adults have a white stomach and a black head, back, tail and wings. They also have yellowy-gold markings on the side of their head and neck.

2. Emperor penguins are the largest of all the different kinds of penguin. On average they measure 115cm tall - about the height of the average six year old.

(AD)

3. Emperor penguins spend their entire lives in Antarctica - the Earth's southernmost continent - where temperatures can drop to as low as -60°C. Brrrr.

4. To survive in such low temperatures, these brilliant birds have special adaptations - they have large stores of insulating body fat and several layers of scale-like feathers that protect them from icy winds. They also huddle close together in large groups to keep themselves, and each other, warm.

5. Around April every year (the start of the Antarctic winter) emperor penguins meet to breed on the thick Antarctic ice. By the time the female lays her egg (usually around June), she"s worked up a big appetite! She passes the egg to the male before journeying up to 80km to the open ocean where she can feed her hungry tummy on fish, squid and krill.

6. During this time, the males are in charge of keeping the egg safe and warm in the breeding ground. They do this by balancing the egg on their feet and covering it with feathered skin, called a ' brood pouch'. It takes about two months for the eggs to hatch.

7. The females return in July, bringing with them food in their bellies which they regurgitate (or throw up) for the chicks to eat. The females now take over babysitting duty, leaving the males to head to the ocean for their own fishing session.

8. As the youngsters grow, the parents leave them in groups, called ' crèches ', whilst they head to the ocean to fish. Come December, the warmer temperatures break up the ice that the penguins occupy, bringing open waters closer to the nesting site. By this time, the chicks are old enough to swim and fish, and take to the ocean themselves!
Without the warmth of the parents' brood pouches, emperor penguin chicks would die in just a few minutes in the cold of Antarctica.
9. These birds are super swimmers and impressive divers. They can reach depths of over 500m and stay underwater for up to 22 minutes!

10. Sadly, today emperor penguins are considered near threatened and their populations are expected to decline rapidly in years to come. It"s feared that rising temperatures due to global warming will reduce their breeding ground, and overfishing will mean less food for them to eat. The good news is that by looking after our planet, YOU can help protect these amazing animals. Check out our Five Top Conservation Tips for some environment-saving ideas!

Images ⓒ Bernard Breton, Dreamstime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 facts about emperor penguins - National Geographic Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ten facts about emperor penguins: learn all about the emperor penguin breeding cycle, where these birds live, what they eat and more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Common Name:

Emperor Penguin

Scientific Name:

Aptenodytes forsteri

Average Life Span In The Wild:

15 to 20 years

Size relative to a 6-ft man:

Emperors are the largest of all penguins-an average bird stands some 45 inches tall. These flightless animals live on the Antarctic ice and in the frigid surrounding waters.

Antarctic Adaptations

Penguins employ physiological adaptations and cooperative behaviors in order to deal with an incredibly harsh environment, where wind chills can reach -76°F.

They huddle together to escape wind and conserve warmth. Individuals take turns moving to the group's protected and relatively toasty interior. Once a penguin has warmed a bit it will move to the perimeter of the group so that others can enjoy protection from the icy elements.

Emperor penguins spend the long winter on the open ice-and even breed during this harsh season. Females lay a single egg and then promptly leave it behind. They undertake an extended hunting trip that lasts some two months! Depending on the extent of the ice pack, females may need to travel some 50 miles just to reach the open ocean, where they will feed on fish, squid, and krill. At sea, emperor penguins can dive to 1,850 feet-deeper than any other bird-and stay under for more than 20 minutes.

Reproduction and Parenting

Male emperors keep the newly laid eggs warm, but they do not sit on them, as many other birds do. Males stand and protect their eggs from the elements by balancing them on their feet and covering them with feathered skin known as a brood pouch. During this two-month bout of babysitting the males eat nothing and are at the mercy of the Antarctic elements.

When female penguins return to the breeding site, they bring a belly full of food that they regurgitate for the newly hatched chicks. Meanwhile, their duty done, male emperors take to the sea in search of food for themselves.

Mothers care for their young chicks and protect them with the warmth of their own brood pouches. Outside of this warm cocoon, a chick could die in just a few minutes. In December, Antarctic summer, the pack ice begins to break up and open water appears near the breeding site, just as young emperor penguins are ready to swim and fish on their own.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Common Name: Emperor Penguin Scientific Name: Aptenodytes forsteri Average Life Span In The Wild: 15 to 20 years Size relative to a 6-ft man: Emperors are the largest of all penguins-an average bird stands some 45 inches tall. These flightless animals live on the Antarctic ice and in the frigid surrounding waters.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Emperor penguins are the ultimate giants of the penguin world. These seabirds are uniquely adapted to survive in the harsh conditions of the Antarctic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Emperor penguins are one of the "classic" penguin species that people imagine when they hear the name. Along with King Penguins andAdelie penguins, they are representative of the whole group.

Emperor Penguin Basics

Average Weight: 30kg - 66lb

Average Height: 115cm - 3.8ft

Breeding Season: April - December - Emperors breed in the depth of the Antarctic winter. The average temperature is around -20°C (-4°F) falling as low as -50°C (- 58°F) and with winds that gust up to 200km per hour (124mph).

Reproduction: Emperor Penguins breed almost exclusively on sea-ice near to the coast of Antarctica, rarely on land, the breeding colonies can be up to 200 km from the open sea.

Estimated world population: - 595,000, stable.

Feeding: Eat mainly fish in Antarctica, also krill and squid which can be more important in some places.

Conservation status: Near threatened..

Distributionn: Circumpolar, breed right up against the continent.Leopard seals and killer whales- main predators of adult birds. Skuas - prey on eggs and chicks.
Emperor penguin adaptations

What are Emperor penguins like?

Emperor penguins have the upright and regal bearing that their name suggests. They take the dinner-jacketed formality of all penguins to its highest level and though they are able to be as awkward, gawky and get as dirty as other penguins, when they shake it all off and stand up to regain their dignity, there are few if any more stately and elegant animals on earth.

Emperor penguins are the largest of penguin species with an average weight of around 30kg (66lb) but can be up to 40kg (88lb) and a height of approx. 1.15m (3.8ft).

They have colourful feathers around their necks and heads, though are not quite as bright as king penguins which are almost as large. There is little or no possibility of confusing the two species however as their distribution around Antarctica is very different. While king penguins are a sub-Antarctic species, being based on islands dotted around the continent, emperor penguins are animals of the deep south. They are never found together.

Emperor penguins have yellow ear patches that are "open" fading into the white of the breast feathers, whereas king penguins have orange ear patches that are "closed" by a band of black feathers. Emperor penguin chicks have distinctive plumage with a large white face patch.

Where do Emperor penguins live?

All but 3 of about 40 known emperor penguin colonies are on winter fast ice that is frozen solid and attached to the land from autumn until it begins to break up in the spring (though some years it doesn't break up at all). They are found all around the coasts of the Antarctic continent. They breed during the depths of the Antarctic winter and in some of the most desolate, coldest, windiest and downright grim places on the planet during the season of 24 hour darkness. Some emperor penguins are the only birds that never set foot on land.

The first breeding colony wasn't discovered until 1902 by Lt. Reginald Skelton on Scott's 1901-04 Discovery Expedition some 130 years after the birds had first been seen on Captain Cook's second voyage. New colonies were still being discovered as late as 2009. Nowadays satellite imagery is used to find breeding emperor penguin colonies in remote regions.

Early in the 20th century, Emperor penguins were thought to be some kind of evolutionary "missing link", something that scientists thought could be proven by observing the growth of the embryo at various stages. On Scott's 1910-1913 Terra Nova expedition a small group of expeditioners set out on a winter sledging journey led by Wilson, the biologist and including the young Apsley Cherry-Garrard, famously this gave rise to the acknowledged greatest of all Antarctic adventure and travel books " The Worst Journey in the World".

Emperor penguin diving adaptations

Emperor penguins feed on fish, krill and squid which they catch on dives that are longer and deeper than any other penguin or bird species. They can dive to a depth of 1,800 feet (550 meters) and hold their breath for up to 22 minutes. This allows them to reach and exploit food resources that other birds can't reach.

The diving adaptations and abilities of emperor penguins have been widely studied, they have been found to have:

1/ an increased ability to store oxygen in the body
2/ the ability to tolerate low levels of oxygen in the body
3/ the ability to tolerate the effects of pressure.

Emperor penguins tolerate low levels of oxygen during dives that would cause a human to pass out and they experience pressures so great that we would get the bends. Neither of these things seem to adversely affect penguins. Their diving physiology is studied at McMurdo Station at a place called penguin ranch 15 miles out in the sea ice where there is only a single hole in the ice, so the penguins must return there to leave the sea.

A penguin's normal resting heart-beat is about 60-70 beats per minute (bpm), this goes up to 180-200 bpm before a dive as they load up with oxygen, then as they hit the water, the rate drops to 100 bpm immediately slowing to only 20 bpm during most of the dive so they use the stored oxygen in blood and muscles to the maximum effect. On returning to the surface again, the heart rate goes back to 200 bpm probably to pay back the "oxygen debt" they have incurred during the dive.

What is unusual about the Emperor Penguins breeding cycle?

Emperor penguins breed almost exclusively on sea ice and so are perhaps the only species of bird that never sets foot on land.

They begin their breeding cycle when other Antarctic penguins have finished theirs, at the end of April to May. Other smaller penguins at this time head north away from the encroaching winter while the Emperors head south into it. They seem to choose very dramatic sites, a large flat area where they can waddle when carrying their egg or chick on their feet surrounded by high ice cliffs or icebergs that help to give a little shelter from the winds.

Eggs are laid in May and June, they are the smallest egg relative to body size of any bird, being around 0.4kg (1.1lb) just under 1.5% of the mass of an adult bird.

At this point, the males take charge of the egg. No nest is built and the egg is incubated on the feet of the parents, a special fold of abdominal skin covers the egg to keep it warm. The mother penguins then set off back to sea and do not return for nearly four months.

The male Emperors with their valuable eggs sit huddled together on the ice throughout the dark weeks and months of the Antarctic night. The average temperature is around -20°C (-4°F) going down to -50°C (- 58°F) and with winds that gust up to 200km per hour (124mph). The males do not eat at all throughout this time, but just sit and wait and protect their egg, (later the chick) until their mate comes back to relieve them.

Very few people have seen an emperor penguin huddle in the winter in a savage place where ice and cold are king and the penguins spend their days in silence. The only events are changing position in the huddle (see below) and the immense spectacle of the ghostly red, violet and green of the southern lights or Aurora Australis playing in the dark skies above their heads.

Brooding young hatchlings

Returning from a fishing dive

Males can be sat incubating and waiting for over 120 days (average 115), during this time they will lose about 40% of their body weight. They use less energy when asleep which they do so as long as possible, it is not unusual for emperor penguins to sleep for 20 or more hours a day under these conditions - even up to 24 hours a day, to conserve their food supplies and increase their and their chick's chances of survival.

They survive by huddling together for warmth, very unusual behaviour for adults of other penguin species which are usually aggressively territorial. They also take it in turns to occupy the coldest most exposed outside positions. Without this huddling behaviour, they would unable to endure the combined conditions of fasting, bitter cold and hurricane force winds and would not be able to live and breed in the way they do. Even though they are close together during these huddles, they have been recently shown to be not quite touching. if they touched and squashed the puffed out feathers down it would reduce the insulating value and make them colder, so they really fine-tune the process.

It's not all altruistic behaviour though, and taking it in turns. The ones that have been on the outside on the windward side wander off to the leeward side when they've had enough so exposing the next "layer" of penguins. The whole huddle can wander over quite an area in this way in very cold and/or windy conditions.

How do the parents ensure that the chick survives when born on the open sea ice?

As the chicks grow older and get larger, they become able to regulate their own temperature in milder conditions, so they don't need the protection of the brood patch. They form creches and will huddle as the parents do if the weather worsens.

Eventually, the female returns across the sea ice. This usually coincides with the hatching of the chick. Sometimes the chick will hatch before the female returns, if this happens, it will be fed with a secretion of protein and fat produced by the male from its oesophagus a sort of penguin "milk".

The pair locate each other by calling repeatedly, eventually recognizing each others voice, and the male passes the chick over (sometimes reluctantly and after much persuasion) onto the feet of the female. A chick left alone on the ice at this time has a survival time of only around two minutes. The males are then able to go off to sea to feed and build up their strength and fitness again. This journey alone can take several days across the ice. Emperor penguins have been known to walk 280km to reach the sea.

At this point, the chick is reared in the conventional penguin manner, with the parents taking it in turns to feed and look after the chick until they are large enough to leave.

When they are older and larger, the chicks huddle together in creches for warmth and protection while both parents are able to go off to collect food at the same time to provide for the ever increasing needs of the growing chick.

Chick survival has a lot to do with how the ice breaks up and so how easy it is for parents to reach the sea. If the parents have to travel long distances, many chicks will die of starvation. If the ice edge remains close, then the parents will be able to provide more food and the chicks stand a better chance of survival.

The colonies begin to disperse as the sea ice begins to break up in December and January, the chicks are then able to fend for themselves leaving the adults to moult their feathers (a time when they need to stay out of the water) and so are not able to feed.

Why do emperor penguins breed in such severe conditions?

Despite the way it seems, this breeding strategy of the emperor penguin does make sense. Emperors are large birds, twice the weight of the next biggest penguin, the king, and so are able to survive the winter fast and the extreme cold temperatures endured at this time
.
With this breeding strategy, the penguin chicks become independent during the height of the summer food supply and so are able to survive better.
The chicks are very large too compared to other penguin species, if they were reared in the summer, they would have to be left to fend for themselves at a time of the year when food supply is reducing. As the chicks food requirement is very high, this would cause major problems.

Emperor penguins are able to raise a chick each year by this strategy, though the rigorous conditions of life in the deep south mean that only 19% of chicks will survive their first year. King penguins on the other hand can expect an 80% first year survival rate, though their breeding strategy means that they rear 2 chicks every 3 years and the requirement for open water year-round restricts their range to sub-Antarctic islands.

Emperors are preyed upon by Killer Whales, Leopard Seals, and the Giant Petrel. The most dangerous predator is the Leopard Seal that can eat about 15 penguins a day though they usually only catch the weak or the very sick. Healthy penguins can usually out-swim a Leopard Seal.
Emperor penguin adaptations
There were estimated to be around 238,000 breeding pairs of emperor penguins in the world in 2009. Taking into consideration the non-breeder ratio as well this translates into about 595,000 adult birds. Emperor penguins reach breeding age at 4 years and can live to be 20.

Pictures used courtesy of Warner Brothers or NOAA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Emperor penguins are one of the "classic" penguin species that people imagine when they hear the name. Along with King Penguins andAdelie penguins, they are representative of the whole group. Emperor Penguin Basics Average Weight: 30kg - 66lb Average Height: 115cm - 3.8ft Breeding Season: April - December - Emperors breed in the depth of the Antarctic winter.