# Emperor penguin (*Aptenodytes forsteri*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/emperor-penguin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is a species in the family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes. It has been recorded in 17 countries, most often in Antarctica, Heard & McDonald Islands and New Zealand. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 17 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Sphenisciformes
- family: Spheniscidae
- genus: Aptenodytes
- species: *Aptenodytes forsteri* G.R.Gray, 1844

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Antarctica (108192), Heard & McDonald Islands (687), New Zealand (14), Australia (13), France (10), French Southern Territories (10), United States (9), Canada (6), Argentina (4), Chile (4), Belgium (1), Denmark (1), Finland (1), Greenland (1), South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (1), Namibia (1), South Africa (1)

## Common questions

### Where does the emperor penguin live?

The emperor penguin has openly licensed sighting records from 17 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Antarctica, Heard & McDonald Islands, New Zealand, Australia and France. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the emperor penguin endangered?

The emperor penguin is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

### What kind of animal is the emperor penguin?

The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) belongs to the family Spheniscidae in the order Sphenisciformes.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/emperor-penguin