# King penguin (*Aptenodytes patagonicus*)

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

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is a bird in the penguin family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes. It is a medium-sized, marine, aquatic carnivore classed as an aquatic predator, with an adult body mass of 11.73 kg in our sources. It lays 1 egg per clutch, the egg incubation period is 53.5 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 4.7 years. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, is partially migratory, and checklists record it in Australia.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 11.3 kg – 12.8 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 26 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 53.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 4.74 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.7 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Sphenisciformes
- family: Spheniscidae
- genus: Aptenodytes
- species: *Aptenodytes patagonicus* J. F. Miller, 1778

Synonyms: *Aptenodytes longirostris*, *Aptenodytes patagonia*, *Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Australia

## Common questions

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

The king penguin is a bird, a penguin in the family Spheniscidae and order Sphenisciformes.

### How heavy is a king penguin?

An adult King penguin weighs 11.73 kg in our sources, with reported values from 11.32 to 12.8 kg.

### What does the king penguin eat?

The king penguin is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category.

### Is the king penguin endangered?

No. The king penguin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a king penguin live?

Sources give the king penguin a lifespan of 26 years.

### How many eggs does a king penguin lay?

The king penguin lays 1 egg per clutch, and the egg incubation period is 53.5 days.

### Which countries is the king penguin recorded in?

Checklists record the king penguin in Australia.

### Who named the king penguin?

The king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus, was named by J. F. Miller, 1778.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/king-penguin