Sealife guideThe king penguinAptenodytes patagonicus

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

Taxonomy

Common name: King penguin
French name: Manchot royal
Scientific name: Aptenodytes patagonicus (Miller, 1778)
Family name: Spheniscidae
Order name: Sphenisciformes
Class name: The sea birds

Description

The king penguin has a blue-black body with a white belly and very light orange markings on its head. The king penguin stands about 33 to 37 inches tall and weighs between 26 to 31 pounds.

The king penguin looks just like the emperor penguin !

It's difficult to distinguish females from males, as there is no notable difference in their appearance.

Range

The king penguin is found in the Antarctic Ocean along the rocky coasts of the Kerguelen islands and Crozet islands, in the southern Atlantic Ocean on the Falkland islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, or in the Indian Ocean on Heard island and the McDonald islands.

Habitat

The king penguin lives on the rocky coasts of the southern Atlantic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean. Unlike other penguin species, the king penguin does not build a nest.

Diet

It feeds on squid and fish which it hunts to depths of around 656 feet.

Reproduction

Around November, the king penguin lays its egg on its feet, which is covered by a flap of skin to protect it from the cold. The egg is incubated by both parents alternately for 55 days, hatching into a chick that will remain nestled on its parents' feet for some time. The chick stays with its parents for about 11 months, after which it is mature enough to fend for itself.

Did you know ?

The king penguin is threatened by climate change, which affects its foraging area.

The king penguin is the second-largest penguin species in the world, after the emperor penguin.

The king penguin closely resembles the emperor penguin but it is distinguished by its smaller size.

The king penguin is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The king penguin appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Least Concern !

Within the same genus

Emperor penguin
(Aptenodytes forsteri)

Within the same family

Royal Penguin
(Eudyptes schlegeli)

Southern rockhopper penguin
(Eudyptes chrysocome)

Chinstrap penguin
(Pygoscelis antarcticus)

Yellow-eyed penguin
(Megadyptes antipodes)

Adelie penguin
(Pygoscelis adeliae)

Galapagos penguin
(Spheniscus mendiculus)

African penguin
(Spheniscus demersus)

Gentoo penguin
(Pygoscelis papua)

Explore also

Buller's albatross
(Thalassarche bulleri)

Waved albatross
(Phoebastria irrorata)

Black-crowned night heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax)

Black-faced Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax fuscescens)

Blue-footed booby
(Sula nebouxii)

Australasian gannet
(Morus serrator)

Horned puffin
(Fratercula corniculata)

Antarctic tern
(Sterna vittata)

Our latestUpdates

Monday, May 5th 2025

The California spiny lobster

The California spiny lobster has an elongated body and a hard exoskeleton, usually brown in color with yellow or orange patterns. The California spiny lobster inhabits the temperate waters along the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean, particularly those of California and the Gulf of California.

Monday, April 14th 2025

The bigeye trevally

The bigeye trevally has a silver-colored body with, as its name suggests, larger eyes compared to other trevally species. It is distinguished from other trevally species by the slightly yellowish color of its tail.

Monday, April 7th 2025

Best things to do in Miami

A flagship city of Florida, Miami is a dream destination where paradise beaches, a vibrant Latino atmosphere and a buzzing nightlife come together. With its year-round sunshine, iconic Art Deco architecture and dynamic cultural scene, Miami has everything to captivate travelers in search of escape.

Photo of the Day

Lamantin de Floride
(Trichechus manatus latirostris)