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[[File:King-Penguin.jpg|300px|left]]
[[File:Crabeater Pléneau Bay.jpg|250px|left]]
The '''[[king penguin]]''' (''Aptenodytes patagonicus'') is a large species of [[penguin]], second only to the [[emperor penguin]] in size. There are two subspecies: ''A. p. patagonicus'' and ''A. p. halli''; ''patagonicus'' is found in the South Atlantic and halli found at the Kerguelen Islands and Crozet Island, Prince Edward Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and Macquarie Island.
The '''[[crabeater seal]]''' is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of [[Antarctica]]. They are found primarily on the free-floating [[pack ice]] that extends seasonally out from the Antarctic coast, which they use as a platform for resting, mating, social aggregation and accessing their prey. They are by far the most abundant seal species in the world. While population estimates are uncertain, there are at least 7 million and possibly as many as 75 million individuals. This success of this species is due to its specialized predation on the abundant [[Antarctic krill]] of the [[Southern Ocean]], for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure.


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 meters (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. King penguins do not live or breed in [[Westarctica]].
Despite its name, crabeater seals do not eat crabs. As well as being an important [[krill]] predator, the crabeater seal is an important component of the diet of [[leopard seal|leopard seals]], which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups.


American zoologist Gerry Kooyman revolutionized the study of penguin foraging behavior in 1971 when he published his results from attaching automatic dive-recording devices to emperor penguins, and recording a dive of 235 meters (771 ft) by a king penguin in 1982.
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'''([[King Penguin|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 13:37, 19 March 2026

Crabeater Pléneau Bay.jpg

The crabeater seal is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are found primarily on the free-floating pack ice that extends seasonally out from the Antarctic coast, which they use as a platform for resting, mating, social aggregation and accessing their prey. They are by far the most abundant seal species in the world. While population estimates are uncertain, there are at least 7 million and possibly as many as 75 million individuals. This success of this species is due to its specialized predation on the abundant Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure.

Despite its name, crabeater seals do not eat crabs. As well as being an important krill predator, the crabeater seal is an important component of the diet of leopard seals, which consume about 80% of all crabeater pups.

(Full Article...)