King Penguin lives on the oceanic peninsulas and islands. Their population is settled between Tierra de Fuego, Fr. Crozet, the Falkland Islands, as well as territories running southwest of New Zealand and southeast of Australia. Penguins breed in Antarctica, in the northern territories. Animals feed in ice-free, clear water, on the shelf, and also along the rocky coast. Young individuals are removed hundreds of kilometers from the nearest colony, found in the open ocean. The population totals more than one million pairs.
There are different types of penguins. Among all, only two of the largest are distinguished. These include the emperor and king penguin. The second is slightly smaller.
The body length of a king penguin is from 94 centimeters to 1.36 meters. Its mass can reach sixteen kilograms. King penguin has a bright color, a fairly long beak. He feeds on small aquatic animals, which are quite a lot off the coast of the islands, as well as plankton. Some individuals consume crustaceans, others prefer fish.
Penguins hunt in groups. At the same time, adults teach young animals hunting techniques and skills. The king penguin finds prey at a depth of ten to twenty meters from the ocean surface. Animals can spend up to forty minutes. They feed once every two weeks. In between feedings, penguins lose half their weight. Animals drink both fresh and salt water. If there is no water, they eat snow.
Penguins are considered "public" birds. They live and breed in colonies. Animals swim beautifully and spend a significant part of their lives in water. At the same time, they are able to travel rather large distances on land. On occasion, penguins try to glide on their bellies in the snow. The body temperature of animals in water decreases quite quickly, so they become very active so as not to freeze. King penguins are most often found in areas with a temperate cold climate. At the same time, they can be seen in mountainous, snowy or even icy areas. They live in such places, provided that there is enough food nearby.
Reaching puberty, penguins often become aggressive and quarrel. As a rule, disputes arise due to the territory that the couple determines for breeding.
Before mating, the male, making trumpet sounds, takes menacing poses. Thus, he scares away rivals.
Reproduction is carried out in the summer. Egg laying begins in December-January. King penguins do not build nests. The female lays only one large enough egg. During hatching, the female and the male are nearby and sing “songs”. On the same "song" they find each other, if they suddenly had to leave. The duration of the incubation is fifty-four days. Penguins have two chicks every three years. In the first year, young animals are next to their mother. In summer, the first egg is laid, the next year, by the end of summer, the second. In the third year, egg laying does not occur. Early chicks reach the size of adults by the beginning of autumn. Of those eggs that were laid in a later period, often the chicks do not have time to hatch - they die with the advent of frost. Such parents (whose children died) begin hormonal restructuring. As a result, they begin breeding in November. As a rule, in this case, the offspring grows without loss.
King penguins are hunted for feathers, fat and eggs. It should be noted that in the 1960s, populations of these animals were actively exterminated by hunters. Today fishing is prohibited.