Living in a Frozen Home

Wrapped Up Tight

Emperor penguins have four layers of feathers that fit together sort of like scales on a fish. They also have a thick layer of fat for storing energy and keeping out the brrr.

Big Birds

Emperor penguins can top out at nearly four feet (1.2 m) tall. If you walked up to one, he’d be staring at you beak to beak . . . er . . . nose.

Warm Chicks

Like other birds, penguins are born with warm down feathers and pretty color patterns. When they reach adulthood, they lose their down and get waterproof feathers to swim in the ocean.

Chilled Out

These are the only animals that brave Antarctica’s ice sheet during winter, where the windchill drops to –76º F (–60º C) and hurricane-force winds swirl at over 120 miles per hour (200 km/h)!

Resting on Ice

Emperor penguins rest on their heels to reduce contact with the ice.

Deep Divers

Emperors are champion divers. They stay underwater almost 30 minutes and swim as deep as 1,850 feet (565 m)—that’s five football fields. (Talk about a touchdown!)