Emperor penguin
Amazing fact
The emperor penguin has a spiky tongue that helps it catch slippery fish.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The emperor penguin has a spiky tongue that helps it catch slippery fish.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Emperor penguin
- Scientific name
- Aptenodytes forsteri
- Japanese name
- コウテイペンギン
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Aptenodytes
It breeds during the Antarctic winter, and the male incubates the egg.
The birds huddle together in the cold to reduce heat loss.
How the Emperor penguin lives
At sea, they eat fish, krill and squid. During breeding season, they use calls to locate their mates after returning from the ocean. After the chicks hatch, the parents share the work of raising them.
Australian Antarctic ProgramUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Weight
- up to 40 kg
- Diet
- Fish, Antarctic krill and squid
Where the Emperor penguin has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- コウテイペンギン
- 简体中文
- 皇帝企鹅
- 繁體中文
- 帝企鵝
- 한국어
- 황제펭귄
- Español
- Pingüino emperador
- Français
- Manchot empereur
- Deutsch
- Kaiserpinguin
- Português (Brasil)
- Pinguim-imperador
- Italiano
- Pinguino imperatore
- العربية
- بطريق إمبراطور
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Penguin kaisar
- Tiếng Việt
- Chim cánh cụt hoàng đế
- Русский
- Императорский пингвин
- Türkçe
- İmparator penguen
- বাংলা
- সম্রাট পেঙ্গুইন
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- Australian Antarctic Program — Emperor penguinChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Aptenodytes forsteriChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Emperor penguin, look for this
- Look for the orange and yellow patches near its ears.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Emperor penguin
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Chubu
- Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium館内表記はエンペラーペンギン（学名 Aptenodytes forsteri）
Kinki
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Spheniscidae
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