Emperor Penguins Emperor Penguins
Emperor Penguins Coming June 14
Nowhere Else in the Western Hemisphere - Only at SeaWorld Orlando Antarctica Realm

There's a New Emperor in Town

Emperor penguins—the largest and most majestic of all penguin species—are coming soon to SeaWorld Orlando- the ONLY place you can see them in the Western Hemisphere! Native to the frozen wilderness of Antarctica, these remarkable birds are built for life on ice, with sleek feathers and super-swimming skills that help them dive deeper than any other bird. Now, for the first time at SeaWorld Orlando, you can witness their striking stature, unique behaviors, and powerful presence up close. Don’t miss this rare chance to stand in the presence of true polar royalty.
Visit the Emperor Penguins at Antarctica Realm starting June 14. SeaWorld Annual Pass Members will receive exclusive early access to the habitat on June 12 and 13. Check your email inbox for full details.

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Emperor Penguins

Become a Pass Member

Be Among the First to Visit Emperor Penguins

Being a Pass Member has it's perks, including Pass Member Exclusive Invites to our newest attractions and exhibits. Pass Members will be invited to visit our Emperor Penguins before anyone else! Pass Members get unlimited visits all year long and unbeatable benefits like free parking, free guest tickets and more. SeaWorld Annual Passes are on sale now!
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Big City Penguins

Emperor Penguins Have Landed in Downtown Orlando!

Celebrating the arrival of Emperor Penguins to Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Creative City Project bring you Big City Penguins — a larger-than-life art installation featuring three towering Emperor Penguins across Downtown Orlando. Don’t miss this playful, urban wildlife moment happening now through June 19. Snap a selfie, share your sighting, and get ready to meet the real Emperor Penguins coming soon to SeaWorld Orlando!

Tag socials @seaworldorlando with hashtags #seaworldorlando.

The Big City Penguins reside on rooftops at the following locations:

• Areo: 60 N. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801 (Adult Penguin – 14’ tall)

• Stagger Inn Rooftop: 100 E .Central Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32801 or 55 W. Church Street, Orlando, FL 32801 (Adult Penguin – 14’ tall)

• 30 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801 (Baby Penguin – 10’ tall)

For more information on Creative City Project, visit www.creativecityproject.com.


Fast Facts

Description
Largest of all living penguin species, the emperor penguin has a black head, chin, and throat, with broad yellow patches on each side of the head.
Size
up to 112 cm (44 in.)
Weight
27 to 41 kg (60 to 90 lbs.)
Diet
Fishes and squid
Incubation
62-68 days
Sexual Maturity
5 to 6 years in males, 5 years in females
Life Span
20 to 25 years in the wild, up to 50 years in zoological care
Range
Circumpolar on Antarctic continent
Habitat
Within the limits of pack ice
Population
In 2009,46 colonies of about 238,000 breeding pairs were located. More recently, an addition 7 colonies have been identified but the global population has not been updated yet. Please see IUCNredlist.org for updated information
Status 
IUCN: Near Threatened
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed
Please see the data bases for these agencies for updated status listing

Fun Facts

  • Emperor penguins walk slowly and do not hop. The maximum walking speed for emperors is 2.8 kph (1.7mph). Emperor penguins are also known to toboggan, sliding across ice on their bellies.
  • Emperor penguins have been observed swimming 14.4 kph (8.9 mph), though they normally do not exceed 10.8 kph (6.7 mph).
  • Emperor penguins breed annually during the Antarctic winter, June through August. During this time, air temperature may drop to -60°C (-76°F) and winds may reach up to 200 kph (124 mph).
  • Emperor penguins do not build nests. The male penguin stands upright and incubates a single egg on top of its feet under a loose fold of abdominal skin called a brood patch. The male fasts throughout the courtship, nesting, and incubation period. He lives off reserves of body fat which may be 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in.) thick, and loses up to 45% of his body weight. After the female transfers the egg, she goes to sea to feed while the male is incubating. She returns just before the egg is ready to hatch to relieve her mate. If the egg hatches before the female returns, the male is able to produce and secrete a curd-like substance from his esophagus to feed the chick.
  • In 1980, a tiny emperor penguin made international zoological history. The chick was the first to be hatched and raised by its parents inside the Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld San Diego, then the world's only successful emperor penguin breeding facility outside of Antarctica. And in 1982, the first hand-raised emperor penguin hatched. Since then, more than 20 emperor penguins have been hatched and raised at SeaWorld San Diego, including most recently in 2023.

Ecology and Conservation

All 18 species of penguin are legally protected from hunting and egg collecting. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 makes it illegal to harm, or in any way interfere with, a penguin or its eggs. Every penguin specimen collected with a permit must be approved by and reported to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR). Penguins are vulnerable to habitat destruction, overfishing of primary food sources, ecological disasters such as oil spills, pollution such as trash in the ocean, and human encroachment into nesting areas.


Bibliography

Coats, Judith. Penguins: Flightless Birds of the Southern Hemisphere. SeaWorld Education Department, 2001.

Nuzzolo, Debbie. Penguin March. SeaWorld Education Department, 2002.

BirdLife International 2018. Aptenodytes forsteri . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22697752A132600320. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697752A132600320.en. Downloaded on 13 March 2020.