Emperor Penguin Research Paper

Introduction
The emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri, is most known for being the tallest and heaviest penguin in the world (Magnuson). The emperor penguin is a type of bird in the Spheniscidae family, which is the only family in the order and is home to many other aquatic birds (Magnuson). Emperor penguins live in the arctic tundra biome on the coast of Antarctica (Magnuson). Emperor penguins are carnivorous and will eat fish, krill and squid (Magnuson). A few of the emperor penguin’s predators are killer whales, sea lions, and leopard seals (Magnuson). Emperor penguins have many adaptations that protect it from the cold, and in the water (Magnuson). Emperor penguins were first discovered in 1844 and scientists have studied it to learn more …show more content…
The phytoplankton are the primary producers in the Antarctic ecosystem (Sasso). The zooplankton, also known a krill, are organisms that eat phytoplankton and are (Sasso). Zooplankton are one of many primary consumers in this ecosystem (Winter). Squid eat mainly plankton, krill and fish (Sasso). Squid is also one of many primary consumers in the ecosystem (Winter). There are about 100 million tons of squid that are eaten by whales, seabirds, seals, and penguin (Sasso). Fish feed on krill and other fish that are smaller (Sasso). Also, fish are secondary consumers (Winter). There are five types of penguin Antarctica (Sasso). These are chinstrap, adelie, emperor, gentoo, and the macaroni penguins (Bingham). Penguins eat mostly fish, krill, and squid (Sasso). All penguins are secondary consumers of this ecosystem (Winter). They are mostly eaten by leopard seals and killer whales (Sasso). In Antarctica, there are 4 types of seal, the weddell, crabeater, leopard, and the ross seal (Sasso). All of these seals are secondary consumers (Winter). The weddell seal eats mostly squid and fish (Sasso). The crabeater seal only eats krill (Sasso). The leopard seal preys on penguins and other small seals (Sasso). The ross seal is very rare to find, but they eat squid and fish and have no known predators (Sasso). The skua is a bird that can be classified as a tertiary and a secondary consumer since it eats dead carcasses and penguin chicks (Winter). The snow petrel is a bird that is a secondary consumer and eats zooplankton (Sasso). Lastly, the four whales are the orca (killer whale), sperm whale, minke whale, and the blue whale (Sasso). The orca is at the top of the food chain and is a secondary consumer (Sasso). They eat other whales like the blue whale and penguins (Sasso). The sperm whale feeds on fish and squid (Sasso). They are secondary