Emperor penguin body surfaces cool below air temperature

• Published in: Biology Letters
• Main Authors: J. Mccafferty, Dominic, Gilbert, Caroline, Mathilde Thierry, Anne, I. Currie, John, Le Maho, Yvon, Ancel, André
• Other Authors: Institute of Biodiversity, University of Glasgow, Mécanismes adaptatifs : des organismes aux communautés, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE-IPHC), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Scottish energy centre, Edinburgh Napier University
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: metabolic heat loss; thermal imaging; thermoregulation; Antarctic; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; [SDV.BA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Aptenodytes forsteri; E. Antarctica; Emperor penguins
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00788573; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.1192

International audience Emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri are able to survive the harsh Antarctic climate because of specialized anatomical, physiological and behavioural adaptations for minimizing heat loss. Heat transfer theory predicts that metabolic heat loss in this species will mostly depend on radiative and convective cooling. To examine this, thermal imaging of emperor penguins was undertaken at the breeding colony of Pointe Ge'ologie in Terre Ade'lie (668400 S 1408 010 E), Antarctica in June 2008. During clear sky conditions, most outer surfaces of the body were colder than surrounding sub-zero air owing to radiative cooling. In these conditions, the feather surface will paradoxically gain heat by convection from surrounding air. However, owing to the low thermal conductivity of plumage any heat transfer to the skin surface will be negligible. Future thermal imaging studies are likely to yield further insights into the adaptations of this species to the Antarctic climate.