The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is a large species of penguin, second only to the emperor penguin in size.
King penguins eat small fish, mainly lanternfish, and squid. They are less reliant on krill and other crustaceans than most Southern Ocean predators. On foraging trips king penguins repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (300 ft), and have been recorded at depths greater than 300 metres (1,000 ft).
King penguins breed on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, and other temperate islands of the region.
The king penguin is the emblem of Edinburgh Zoo.
Up close and personal!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful photos! I love how close you were to them to take these photos, or else how perfectly you used the close up lens! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou could get very close and they were totally unconcerned with the humans around them.
DeleteI once met a King Penguin at the Stuttgart zoo (Wilhelma) when I was taking part at a tour behind the scenes. I was wearing red shoes that day, and the penguin was utterly fascinated with them.
ReplyDeleteWhen seeing the first photo I was wodnering if you had been traveling to the far south. But when scrolling down I learned that these penguins are living in Edinburgh?!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos, thank you for sharing these awesome birds!
These were actually at Birdland n Bourton-on-the-Water, Heleen.
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