The diet of Emperor Penguins Aptenodytes forsteri in Adelie Land, Antarctica
This first quantitative study of the diet of Emperor penguins is based on 29 stomach contents collected with a water off-loading method in Adelie Land. The Emperor is largely ichthyophagous (65% by number and 95% by weight) and feeds extensively on small nototheniids (97% of the fish are 40–125 mm i...
Published in: | Ibis |
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Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2008
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/36993/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/36993/1/2263.pdf https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1986.tb02690.x |
Summary: | This first quantitative study of the diet of Emperor penguins is based on 29 stomach contents collected with a water off-loading method in Adelie Land. The Emperor is largely ichthyophagous (65% by number and 95% by weight) and feeds extensively on small nototheniids (97% of the fish are 40–125 mm in overall length). These results and data on meal size and feeding frequency of the chick suggest that Emperors are off-shore foraging birds offering little competition for food with other sea-birds or mammals. |
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