Emperor Penguin
Introduction Emperor Penguins are the largest kind of penguin in the world.
Appearance Male and female Emperor penguins are quite similar in size. They can
reach 122cm tall and can weigh anywhere from 22 to 45 kg. The front part of an Emperor
penguin is all white. A little section in the throat is yellow. The back of the
penguin is black and its face is black. They are called emperor penguins
because they are the king of the penguin species. Their scientific name is
Aptenodytes Forsteri.
Diet Emperor Penguin’s diet consists of mainly fish. They can also eat krill
and other crustaceans. They can eat squid too. The emperor penguin dives to
around 50 metres where it can see the fish and then swims up to the bottom of
the ice and catches the fish. The penguin does this over and over before coming
up to the surface to breath.
Habitat Emperor Penguins live in Antarctica. They live on
land but get their food from the water.
Predators Some of the Emperor Penguins predators are the southern giant petrel
which is responsible for 34% of the chick’s deaths. The only predators that
attacks heathy adults are leopard seals whose scientific name is Hydrurga
leptonyx and the Orcas which mostly take
adult Emperor penguins, but will take any aged bird if in the water or close to
the water.
Breeding Emperor Penguins are able to breed when they are
three years old. The breeding season starts in March and April when all mature
penguins travel to colonial nesting areas. The temperature can be as low as
-40c. The Emperor Penguin’s egg is pear shaped and weighs 460 – 470g. The colour
of the egg is greenish white. After the female lays the egg she gives it to the
male who has to sit on it to keep it warm, for two months.
Interesting facts The first person to ever see an Emperor penguin was
Johann Reinhold Forster, who first saw the Emperor penguins in 1773 – 1774. He
was with Captain Cook on his second voyage. Forster wrote about seeing a
different kind of penguin but because of where he was when he saw it, people
think it was probably an Emperor penguin.
Early research showed that
Emperor Penguins can dive 265m deep in water for 18 minutes. Later research
found a small female went 535m deep near McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.
Hayden Mottley
The
Rock Hopper Penguin
Introduction:
Rockhopper
penguins the scientific name is Eudyptes Chrysocome. The rockhopper penguin likes jumping over rocks to get
about, rather than sliding around on their bellies. There are three different
kinds of rockhopper penguins which are the western rockhopper penguin, the
eastern rockhopper penguin and the northern rockhopper penguin.
Appearance:
Rockhopper penguins weigh up to 2.3kg to 2.7kg. The
Rockhopper penguin is the smallest of their family (the Crest Family). Males
are larger than females. They have yellow, orange and black feathers sticking
outwards from their head. The rock hopper penguin looks like the macaroni
penguin and the royal penguin from the crested family as well.
Habitat/location:
The rock hopper penguin is the most widespread of their
family. Rock hopper penguins are found on islands around and near Antarctica
that are in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and the southern ocean. The rock
hopper penguin’s habitat is on rocky slopes and caves on sub-Antarctic islands.
Diet:
Rock hopper penguins are carnivores so they eat small
crustaceans, krill, squid and different types of fish. Rock hopper penguins can
be at sea for days catching food and diving deep for minutes at time. Their
diet changes as they migrate to different places.
Reproduction:
Rock hopper penguins lay two eggs. Normally one of the
eggs hatches. The second egg laid is bigger than the first egg. The first egg
is usually taken by a predator before it even hatches. The parents take turns
taking care of the egg.
Conclusion:
The rockhopper penguins are amongst the most numerous on
the planet but their population is on rapid decline due to commercial fishing,
pollution and other factors. penguins numbers have been cut
by ninety percent.
by Anna
Killer Whales
Introduction:
Killer
whales are the biggest in the dolphin family. They are apex predators which
mean they have no natural predators. They are really amazing sea creatures.
Appearance:
Killer
whales are black and white and sometimes white and medium grey. Killer whales
can weigh up to 11 tons and there size is 28ft. They belong to the mammal classification of animals. Their
scientific name is orca.
Diet:
A
Killer whales diet contains many things. They eat fish, squid, sharks, sea
lions, penguins, dolphins and sometimes large whales and grey white sharks
sometimes.
Reproduction:
Every
5 years a killer can raise up to 4 pups after they turn 21 years old.
Life span:
Killer
whales can live from 50 to 80 years old.
Habitat/ Location:
Killer
whales live in all seas and oceans but are mostly found in Antarctica.
Facts:
Killer
whales can stay under water for 20 minutes
Killer
whales are less commonly known as the blackfish or grampus.
Conclusion:
This
is why I love Killer whales and I think that everybody should learn about them.
Don’t hate these sea creatures just because of their name. They are not killers
just because they haven the word killer in their name.
Dallas Owen
The Snow Petrel
The scientific name is Pagodroma
Nivea.
Appearance
The snow petrel is a pure white bird and is about
the same size as a pigeon. It has dark eyes, a small black beak and bluish
greyish feet.
Habitat
Although snow petrels are restricted to Antarctic
waters they are commonly found in areas with pack ice and ice bergs.
Diet
The snow petrel mainly feeds on squid, fish and
krill. It also feeds on carcasses of dead seals, whales and penguins.
Reproduction
Snow petrels lay only one white egg between November
to December. The egg is incubated for 41-49 days. When born the chick remains
in the nest for seven weeks.
Predators
The predators of the snow petrels are the South
Polar Skuas.
by Shantara
Text Type:
Information Report
Purpose: To give
Information
Audience: 5/6J and
visitors
California Sea Lions
Introduction
California Sea Lions (ZALOPHUS
CALIFORNAINUS) are a magnificent type of species they can even swim faster than
there predator and escape easily and they can risk a lot of things that are
very critical conditions. They are mostly found in Northern Antarctica. Their
class is Mammalia.
Habitat
They live in Northern Antarctica,
Mexico, Canada, and Baja California. Maybe sometimes near Asia or China.
Diet
California sea lions are predators
that obtain all their food from the sea. They feed on more than 50 species of
fishes and other marine species and creatures.
Reproduction
California sea lions tend to breed on
the same section year after year. Sea lions generally favour sections on the
windward side of islands.
Appearance
Males are approximately 2.4m and 350
kg. Females are 1.8m and weigh 100kg. They have light grey skin. They moult in autumn
and spring. Females weigh 85–160 kg and
pups weigh 7–8 kg at birth. They are the fastest of the seals and the sea
lions.
Interesting
Fact: The amount of California Sea Lions population doubled from 1965.
By Garv
Text type: information report
Purpose: to inform the reader
Audience: Mrs J
Adelie Penguin
Introduction: The Adelie penguin (Aptenodytes
adelia) is one of
Antarctica’s species of penguin.
Appearance:
The Adelie
penguin is the smallest penguin in Antarctica. They have quite a small beak and
quite small feet. They are 70cm tall and they weigh 5kg. The Adelie penguin is
the most easily identifiable
penguin species.
Habitat: Breeding colonies are formed next to the open sea, on
ice-free areas of exposed rock around the Antarctic coastline. The Adelie
penguin lives south of Antarctica
Diet: Their
main food is Antarctic krill, ice krill, Antarctic silver fish, sea krill,
glacial squid, shrimp like krill and fishes. The Adelie penguin eats similar
things to other penguins.
Reproduction:
The Adelie penguin is the second most southerly
breeding penguin species. The Adelie penguin like other oviparous animals they lay eggs instead of
giving live birth. The female penguin lays eggs every couple of days apart in
the breading season.
Defence: When being harmed Adelie penguins
usually stay in groups to defend themselves. The baby penguins tend to fall
victim to Skuas and Giant Petrels.
Chelsea
Snow Petrel
Snow petrels
(Pagodroma nivea) are one of the most beautiful birds with feathers as white as
snow and eyes as black as coal. They will sometimes have yellow marks on them.
Snow petrels live near the northern waters.
Habitats
Snow petrels live in large crevasses or cracked rocks near
the northern waters. Snow petrel does not migrate but commonly go on long
flights.
Defences
Snow petrels
use a type of foul smelling krill-oil which works like a shield against
predators, they also spray it near their homes for protection against their
eggs. It is also a rich food source for their children and themselves.
Diet
Snow petrel
eats mainly fish for example squid, molluscs, krill euphausiids, and seal
placenta, the carcasses of dead seals, whales and penguins.
Predators
South polar Skuas are major predators of snow petrel, but severe weather conditions,
especially heavy snow that blocks nest entrances, may cause adults to abandon
their eggs or chicks to starve. Egg mortality is approximately 50% while chick
mortality is typically 10–15%.
Appearance
Snow petrels are an all-white, small
petrel with conspicuous dark eyes, small black bill and bluish-grey feet. There
are two subspecies of snow petrel that differ only in size.
by Raymond