King Penguins: The Largest Penguins

The King Penguin is the second largest of all penguins at about 3 feet (90 cm). They live in the South Atlantic, including the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego. They love to eat small fish, especially squid and lanternfish.

Earthlings, what a cute animal it is. King Penguins dive deepest of any penguin. They usually dive over 350 feet (100 meters) and can go as deep as 700 feet (200 meters). Their population is around 2.23 million pairs and is increasing.

The King Penguin parents feeds its chicks by eating a fish, digesting it a bit then regurgitating the fish into the chick's mouth.

King Penguin chicks take 14-16 months before they are ready to swim in the sea. This is very different from smaller penguins, who raise their chicks during a single summer while there is plenty of food. King Penguins time their mating so the chicks will develop over the harshest season for fishing. In this way, by the time the young penguins are finally mature enough to leave their parents, it is summer when food is plentiful and conditions are more favorable for the young to survive alone.

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