Difference between revisions of "Template:POTD protected"

From Encyclopedia Westarctica
Jump to navigation Jump to search
 
(83 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{| role="presentation" style="margin:0 3px 3px; width:100%; text-align:left; background-color:transparent; border-collapse: collapse; "
{| role="presentation" style="margin:0 3px 3px; width:100%; text-align:left; background-color:transparent; border-collapse: collapse; "
|style="padding:0 0.9em 0 0;" | [[File:EmperorPenguinFeedingChick.jpg|300px]]
|style="padding:0 0.9em 0 0;" | [[File:Brown Suka eating chick.jpg|300px|thumb]]
|style="padding:0 6px 0 0"|
|style="padding:0 6px 0 0"|


The '''[[emperor penguin]]''' is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to [[Antarctica]]. The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches. Like all penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Its diet consists primarily of fish, but can also include crustaceans, such as [[krill]], and cephalopods, such as squid. In hunting, the species can remain submerged up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m (1,755 ft). It has several adaptations to facilitate this, including an unusually structured haemoglobin to allow it to function at low oxygen levels, solid bones to reduce barotrauma, and the ability to reduce its metabolism and shut down non-essential organ functions.
The '''[[Brown Skua]]''' is a large seabird that breeds in the subantarctic and [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] zones and moves further north when not breeding.


The only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, emperor penguins trek 50–120 km (31–75 mi) over the [[ice]] to breeding colonies which may include thousands of individuals.
Brown skuas are masters of piracy, they often feed by stealing partially digested fish from the the beaks of other birds. Their victims are typically terns or [[penguin]]s, though other fish-eating species are also pursued until they disgorge their catches. The fact that skuas are swift and agile fliers (and that they sometimes gang up on a single victim) aid in their success rate. This is the heaviest species of skua and rivals even the largest gulls as the heaviest species in the shorebird order although not as large in length or wingspan.  


<p><small>Contributor: Mtpaley </small></p>
<p><small>Photographer: Jenny Varley</small></p>
[[:Category:Images|'''(More Featured Images)''']]
[[:Category:Images|'''(More Images)''']]
<div class="potd-recent" style="text-align:right;">
<div class="potd-recent" style="text-align:right;">

Latest revision as of 14:07, 16 April 2024

Brown Suka eating chick.jpg

The Brown Skua is a large seabird that breeds in the subantarctic and Antarctic zones and moves further north when not breeding.

Brown skuas are masters of piracy, they often feed by stealing partially digested fish from the the beaks of other birds. Their victims are typically terns or penguins, though other fish-eating species are also pursued until they disgorge their catches. The fact that skuas are swift and agile fliers (and that they sometimes gang up on a single victim) aid in their success rate. This is the heaviest species of skua and rivals even the largest gulls as the heaviest species in the shorebird order although not as large in length or wingspan.

Photographer: Jenny Varley

(More Images)