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==Distribution and habitat== | ==Distribution and habitat== | ||
[[File:Empereur ranges.png|thumb|right|Emperor penguin range. Breeding areas in green]] | [[File:Empereur ranges.png|thumb|right|Emperor penguin range. Breeding areas in green]] | ||
The emperor penguin has a circumpolar distribution in the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] almost exclusively between the 66° and 77° south latitudes. It almost always breeds on stable [[pack ice]] near the coast and up to 18 km (11 mi) offshore. Breeding colonies are usually located in areas where ice cliffs and [[ | The emperor penguin has a circumpolar distribution in the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] almost exclusively between the 66° and 77° south latitudes. It almost always breeds on stable [[pack ice]] near the coast and up to 18 km (11 mi) offshore. Breeding colonies are usually located in areas where ice cliffs and [[iceberg]]s shelter them from the wind. Three land colonies have been reported: one (now disappeared) on a shingle spit at the Dion Islands on the [[Antarctic Peninsula]], one on a headland at Taylor Glacier in Victoria Land, and most recently one at Amundsen Bay. Since 2009, a number of colonies have been reported on [[ice-shelf|shelf ice]] rather than sea ice, in some cases moving to the shelf in years when sea ice forms late. | ||
The northernmost breeding population is on Snow Island, near the northern tip of the Peninsula. | The northernmost breeding population is on Snow Island, near the northern tip of the Peninsula. |