At over 1m tall and 40 kg in weight, the Emperor Penguin isn’t just the largest of the penguin species, but an icon of the frozen south. Its sleek, tuxedo-black back, snow-white belly, and golden-orange neck markings give it an instantly recognisable & regal appearance that inspires its name.
However, the naming has a back story, as Kings, being found first, were duly heralded as the largest of all penguins - subsequently their larger cousin was discovered, hence “Emperor”- a name and rank to proclaim superiority!

Adaptation to Life in the Extreme Cold

Very few other penguins can endure such cold conditions, with Emperor penguins often experiencing blizzard-like conditions with temperatures dropping below -50°C and wind speeds hitting 200 km/h. 

They have thick layers of fat under their skin for warmth and energy. This adaptation helps them survive long periods without food during breeding, raising chicks, moulting, and travelling; their dense bones protect against pressure damage. 

They have specialised haemoglobin and can slow their heart rate to just 15 beats per minute, which helps them endure deep dives in low-oxygen environments. 
While they cannot fly and appear clumsy on land, their streamlined bodies and strong flippers enable them to swim powerfully, diving up to 500 meters in icy waters where few predators can follow.

Breeding & Habitat

Emperor penguins breed and raise their young on ‘fast ice’ — a floating platform of frozen ocean connected to the land. Each female in a pair produces a single egg from May to June. The egg is quickly transferred to the male, who balances it on his feet under a featherless brood pouch, where it is incubated for up to 2.5 months.

During this time, the chick will hatch, and the father will have no solid nutrients to provide to the baby, as he has not consumed anything for up to 4 months and has lost half his body weight in the process. Once the female returns to feed her chick, the male and female will take turns walking vast distances of up to 120 km to bring back food, regurgitating partially digested fish and squid to sustain their young.

Behaviour & Diet

Penguins are astonishing divers with a diet consisting primarily of Antarctic silverfish, squid, and krill.

Emperor Penguins live highly social lives and like other species of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic penguins, often work together while foraging. To survive blizzards that reach 50 degrees below freezing, they form tight huddles of hundreds or even thousands of Penguins, which are known as ‘waddles’, where each penguin is constantly shifting and moving so each penguin gets a turn in the warm centre.

How Can You Distinguish an Emperor from a King?

The most obvious way to distinguish between a King Penguin from an Emperor Penguin is through their size (with Kings only reaching 90cm v 100cm tall) and their colouring. While both have golden-orange patches, Emperors have a pale-yellow ear patch that fades gently into the white of their chest, whereas kings have a brighter patch at the side of their head and upper chest.

Kings also appear slimmer with longer, more pointed beaks that are orange along the lower mandible, while Emperors have heavier, shorter bills. Habitat is another clue: Emperors breed exclusively on the Antarctic continent, far inland on sea ice, while Kings gather in massive colonies on various sub-Antarctic islands such as South Georgia and the Falklands….with only the odd lost individual sometimes spotted in Antarctica itself!

Threats to the Emperor Penguin & Conservation

Despite being the largest of the 18 penguin species, they still face significant predatory threats. The primary predators of juveniles and at-sea predators are Leopard Seals. They often wait on the edges of ice or in the cracks where penguins enter/exit the water, ambushing them with their powerful jaws. Orcas are less common, but they’re capable of taking adult Emperor Penguins while hunting along ice floes.
Large seabirds such as South Polar Skuas and Southern Giant Petrels prey on unattended eggs or young chicks. They’re very opportunistic hunters and often exploit weak or isolated chicks.

Unlike in years past, hunting hasn’t been such a significant threat to Emperor Penguin populations — their main threat remains climate change. These birds rely on the ice as a platform for breeding and as a means of accessing their prey. Rising temperatures are leading to increased unpredictability in sea ice and shifting food supplies, putting colonies at significant risk. According to scientists, Emperor penguins may lose up to 90% of their population by the end of the 21st century.

The IUCN now lists the Emperor Penguin as Near Threatened, and conservation organisations are pushing for stronger protections through Antarctic marine reserves and international climate action.

Where To See Emperor Penguins in Antarctica

The largest colonies (often referred to as rookeries) can number tens of thousands of individuals in locations such as the Ross Sea, the Weddell Sea (Snow Hill), and along other icy fringes of East Antarctica. In these regions, the ice becomes a bustling, noisy metropolis of penguins.
Aqua-Firma offer a number of voyages which provide the opportunity to  see Emperor Penguins in the wild - one of the planets most amazing wildlife experiences: 

- Weddell Sea (Snow Hill),
Your best opportunity to see Emperor penguin colonies at close quarters is in the remote Weddell Sea, where they gather at Snow Hill, in one of the most difficult-to-reach and stunning breeding colonies on Earth. This must take place on a ship with one of the highest ice-strengthened ratings and supported by up to three helicopters to first locate and transfer guests to within walking distance of the colony of around 4,000 breeding pairs. 
This is best in November when the Antarctic Spring brings milder weather and continuous daylight occurs. Around this time, the emperor penguin colony is at its most dynamic, with parents feeding their chicks and the rookery brimming with life. Even when landings are not possible due to weather conditions, we often see emperor penguins on the sea ice in this region
 

- Ross Sea
In East Antarctica’s  Ross Sea, some 80.000 pairs of this largest of all penguin species breed at the fringes of the Ross Sea. Growing emperor penguin chicks can be seen on the ice feeding, preening and slowly moving toward the water in late Antarctic summer, around February and March. 

Emperor Penguin colonies stretch on the sea ice that remains attached to the coastlines throughout the year. This ice provides populations with safety and access to the seas where penguins hunt for prey.

The Ross Sea can be explored from our expeditions departing New Zealand or onboard a Semi Circumnavigation of Antarctica -an immersive voyage that promises to bring you in contact with many species of penguin including the otherwise elusive Emperor.


Aqua-Firma Antarctic Expertise
For those who want to explore the icy wilderness, with 60 years of polar travel experience, Aqua-Firma expedition cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, and South Georgia offer not only opportunities to encounter Emperor Penguins but also chances to discover the stunning landscapes and vibrant ecosystems of the Southern Ocean.