What do they eat?
The emperor penguins and chicks at Auster rookery.
| Emperor penguins have a varied menu with some prey items being more important than others. One of the most frequently eaten prey species is the Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum. They also eat other fish, Antarctic krill and some species of squid.
An adult penguin eats 2 - 3 kg per day. When they need to fatten up before a moult or at the start of the breeding season, they can eat as much as 6 kg per day.
Breeding adults really have to fill up their stomachs before they return to the colony. THey need to feed their chicks and the colonies are often a long way from the fishing grounds.
Each chick needs about 42 kg of food from each parent.
|
