Emperor penguins are known for their height, as being the tallest penguin in the penguin kingdom. Like most penguins, they’re black with white bellies, but they also have orange and yellow on the head, neck, and breast.
Natural Selection
Emperor Penguins have a thin layer of fat and a small amount of feathers. They could not survive the cold environment with these traits. This shows that natural selection has come into play. The more favorable trait has been selected, and the penguins without these traits do not survive.
Theory of Evolution
The researchers say penguins evolved from a common ancestor shared with a group of seabirds, albatrosses, and petrels. Penguins first evolved the ability to dive and subsequently lost the ability to fly as they adapted to an aquatic realm, becoming excellent swimmers and divers.
Adaptation
Emperors are uniquely adapted to survive these harsh conditions. They have two layers of feathers, a good reserve of fat, and proportionally smaller beaks and flippers than other penguins to prevent heat loss.
Research
Emperor penguin colonies have been discovered and counted from space. For the last 15 years, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists have been looking for new colonies by searching satellite imagery for their guano stains on the ice.
Emperor penguins are black with white bellies, and they also have orange and yellow on the head, neck, and breast. They have strong claws on their feet that help grip the surface as they shuffle along the snow and the ice. Furthermore, they are about 1.1-1.3 m high. In addition, an emperor penguin’s life span is 20-25 years!
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