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[[File:King-Penguin.jpg|300px|left]]
[[File:Antarctic krill.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.
'''[[Antarctic krill]]''' is a species of [[krill]] found in the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] waters of the [[Southern Ocean]]. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 individual animals per cubic meter. It feeds directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their open ocean life cycle.


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]].
It grows to a length of 6 cm, weighs up to 2 grams, and can live for up to six years. It is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and is, in terms of biomass, probably the most abundant animal species on the planet. In 2019, the Antarctic krill was featured on a [[Stamps of Westarctica|stamp of Westarctica]] to celebrate its role as a vital part of the Antarctic ecosystem.


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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Latest revision as of 22:23, 1 January 2026

Antarctic krill.jpg

Antarctic krill is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 individual animals per cubic meter. It feeds directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their open ocean life cycle.

It grows to a length of 6 cm, weighs up to 2 grams, and can live for up to six years. It is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and is, in terms of biomass, probably the most abundant animal species on the planet. In 2019, the Antarctic krill was featured on a stamp of Westarctica to celebrate its role as a vital part of the Antarctic ecosystem.

(Full Article...)