THE EMPEROR PENGUIN'S FOOD HABITS AND NUTRITION
FOODS CONSUMED IN THE WILD
The emperor penguin's main food source is the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum). They also eat unidentified fish from the family Channichthyidae, Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), and sometimes squid (Psychroteuthis glacialis). (Cherel and Kooyman 1998)
Joel Bellucci, Antarctic silverfish, www.antarcticsun.usap.gov
Uwe Kils, Antarctic krill, www.wikipedia.org
Uwe Kils, Channichthyidae icefish, www.biochemicalsoul.com
In the winter months, the emperor penguin's diet is dominated by crustaceans (67%) and fish (27%). In the summer, crustaceans are unavailable, and the penguin's diet is dominated by fish (75%) and squid (24%). (Kirkwood and Robertson 1997)
NUTRITIVE VALUE
Metabolizable Energy
Antarctic krill provides 9.8Kcal ME/g (Gigliotti et al. 2008) Antarctic fish provide 4.5Kcal ME/g. (Crawford 1979)
Crude Protein
Antarctic krill consists of 78% CP. (Gigliotti et al. 2008) Antarctic fish are also very high in protein, with 77.6% CP. (Crawford 1978)
Fat
Antarctic krill contains 8% EE (Gigliotti et al. 2008) and Atlantic fish contain 4.3% EE. (Crawford 1978)
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Carbohydrates
Antarctic krill consists of 17.4% carbohydrates, (Gigliotti et al. 2008) and Antarctic fish contains 1.2% carbohydrates.(Crawford 1978)
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Data on Antarctic fish was collected from Notothenia coriiceps, and may be applied to the Antarctic silverfish as it from the same family and it lives in a similar range.
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NUTRITIVE VALUE
ANTINUTRITIVE FACTORS
There are no known anti-nutrients or toxins that may limit the survival, well-being or reproduction of the emperor penguin under natural conditions.
ANTINUTRITIVE FACTORS
NECESSARY FOOD CONSUMPTION
The average Antarctic silverfish is estimated to weigh 22g.
Antarctic fish provide 4.5 kcal ME/g. (Crawford 1978) The emperor penguin's energy requirement for maintenance is 887.52 kcal/day. Thus the emperor penguin requires 197g of fish per day, or 9 Antarctic silverfish per day.
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Average weight of an Antarctic krill is 2g.
Antarctic krill provide 9.8kcals of energy per gram. (Gigliotti et al. 2008). The emperor penguin requires 887.52kcal/day for maintenance. Thus, the emperor penguin must eat 90.56g of krill per day, or 46 krill.
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(Gigliotti et al. 2008)
(Cherel and Kooyman 1998)