Jake Harper
Emperor penguins are fascinating creatures, but their world can be harsh and competitive. When an emperor penguin steals a chick from another female, it often ends in tragedy. This behaviour is driven by a hormone called prolactin, which increases the urge to kidnap chicks when levels are elevated. While this behaviour satisfies their parental instincts, the stolen chick is quickly abandoned as it is impossible for a single female to feed and care for it alone. The defenceless chick is then left to wander the colony, seeking food and protection from other adults, but they are brusquely driven away. Sadly, these orphaned chicks will soon become weaker and die of starvation or freeze to death.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Why an emperor penguin steals a chick | The female emperor penguin who failed to find a mate or lost her chick may attempt to steal a chick. |
| What happens when an emperor penguin steals a chick | The mother of the chick and neighboring females will fight to protect or reclaim the chick. The scuffle often results in the chick being smothered or trampled to death. The stolen chick is quickly abandoned as it is impossible for the female to feed and care for it alone. The chick will die of starvation or freeze to death. |
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What You'll Learn
The chick's mother and other females fight to protect it
When an emperor penguin steals a chick, the chick's mother and other females in the colony will fight to protect it or reclaim it. These scuffles can be dangerous for the chick, as they often result in the chick being smothered or trampled to death. Even if the chick is successfully stolen, it is usually quickly abandoned again, as a single female cannot feed and care for a chick alone. The orphaned chick will then wander the colony in search of food and protection, but other adults will brusquely drive it away. Eventually, the chick will starve or freeze to death.
The behaviour of female emperor penguins stealing chicks is driven by their hormones. A 2006 study found that emperor penguins with higher levels of the hormone prolactin were more likely to kidnap chicks, especially if they had lost their own young. While this behaviour may satisfy the parental instincts of the female penguin, it ultimately has no benefit for her and is harmful to the chick.
It is not uncommon for emperor penguins to adopt chicks. A 1994 study found that 28.7% of a colony of penguins adopted one or more chicks during a breeding period. However, most of these adoptions (53%) were due to kidnappings, with the rest being made up of chicks that had been abandoned by their parents. While the overall impact on the adopted chicks was positive, as they received more food, the behaviour of stealing chicks is still detrimental to the stolen chick and can lead to its death.
Emperor penguins are the only penguin species that breed during the Antarctic winter, and their breeding colonies can contain several thousand individuals. In such large colonies, it can be challenging for a mother penguin to protect her chick from theft. The best defence is for the mother and other females in the colony to fight together to reclaim the chick or protect it from being stolen in the first place.
To prevent chick theft, emperor penguins have also evolved to have only one chick at a time, unlike other penguin species that usually have two. This strategy may increase the chances of a chick's survival, as the mother can focus all her efforts on protecting and caring for a single chick.
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The chick is often smothered or trampled to death during scuffles
When an emperor penguin steals a chick, the mother of the stolen chick and neighbouring females will fight to reclaim it. These scuffles, often involving several birds, can result in the chick being smothered or trampled to death. The female penguin that stole the chick is unable to feed and care for it alone, so it is quickly abandoned again. The orphaned chick will wander around the colony seeking food and protection from other adults, but they will brusquely drive it away. Eventually, the chick will starve or freeze to death.
Penguins will also attempt to steal eggs, but the egg quickly freezes to death on the icy ground. This behaviour is influenced by the hormone prolactin. A 2006 study found that penguins with lower levels of prolactin were less likely to kidnap chicks, while those with higher levels were more likely to do so.
Emperor penguins are the only penguin species that breed during the Antarctic winter. They trek 50–120 km (31–75 mi) over the ice to breeding colonies, which can contain several thousand individuals. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed. The parents then take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony.
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The chick is quickly abandoned and left to starve or freeze to death
When an emperor penguin steals a chick, the chick is often quickly abandoned again, leading to certain death. This is because a single female penguin cannot feed and care for a chick alone. The male emperor penguin plays a crucial role in incubating the egg and caring for the chick while the female is away feeding.
After laying her egg, the female penguin's food reserves are depleted, and she must leave to feed at sea for two months. During this time, the male penguin balances the egg carefully on his feet to keep it warm and protected from the freezing temperatures. Once the chick hatches, the parents take turns foraging at sea and caring for their young.
When a female penguin steals a chick, the original parents are often involved in scuffles to protect or reclaim their offspring. These fights can result in the chick being accidentally smothered or trampled to death. Even if the stealing is successful, the chick is soon abandoned once more.
Orphaned chicks, weak and vulnerable, wander the colony in search of food and shelter. They attempt to find protection in the brood patches of adult birds, but are usually driven away. With no one to provide for them, these chicks starve or freeze to death.
The harsh reality of emperor penguin life is that chicks are extremely vulnerable, and the loss of either parent can be fatal. When a female penguin steals a chick, she disrupts the delicate balance of their society, often leading to the tragic and untimely death of the young bird.
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The chick seeks food and protection from other adults
When an emperor penguin chick is stolen by an adult female who failed to find a mate or lost her own chick, it is quickly abandoned because it is impossible for the female to feed and care for the chick alone. The orphaned chick then seeks food and protection from other adults in the colony. They will even try to shelter in an adult bird's brood patch, but they are usually driven away by the adults and their chicks. As a result, the orphaned chick will become weaker and eventually die of starvation or freezing temperatures.
Emperor penguins are the biggest of the 18 species of penguin, standing at about 120 cm tall and weighing around 40 kg. They are native to Antarctica, where they breed and raise their young on "fast ice," or floating platforms of frozen ocean connected to the land or ice shelves. Emperor penguins have a unique breeding cycle, with females laying a single egg in May or June before passing it to their mate to incubate. The female then spends around two months at sea, feeding, while the male balances the egg on his feet in a specially adapted brood pouch.
After the chick hatches, both parents take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony. Chicks form a crèche, huddling together for warmth and protection. During this time, adults from the colony will feed their chicks regurgitated food, but they can only identify their own chicks by their distinctive call. The chick's coloration, which is typically silver-grey down with a black head and white mask, also elicits parental behavior from adults.
The complex social dynamics of emperor penguins are influenced by their extreme habitat. With temperatures dropping as low as −50°C and wind speeds reaching up to 200 km/hr, emperor penguins rely on vocalizations for individual recognition and huddle together in large groups for warmth. These behaviors highlight the challenges of surviving in one of the coldest environments of any bird species.
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The chick is driven away by adults and their chicks
When an emperor penguin steals a chick, the mother of the stolen chick and neighbouring females will fight to reclaim it. These scuffles often result in the chick being accidentally smothered or trampled to death. Even if the chick survives the scuffle, it is quickly abandoned again, as it is impossible for a female penguin to feed and care for a stolen chick alone. The stolen chick will then wander around the colony, seeking food and protection from other adults. They may even try to shelter in an adult bird's brood patch, already occupied by its own chick.
However, these attempts are usually met with rejection. The adults and their chicks will brusquely drive away the stolen chick. Without the protection and care of an adult, the orphaned chick will rapidly become weaker and eventually die of starvation or freeze to death. The harsh reality is that stolen chicks face a grim fate, as they are unable to survive on their own in the harsh Antarctic environment.
The behaviour of penguin "kidnappings" is influenced by hormone levels. A study found that emperor penguins with elevated levels of the hormone prolactin were more likely to kidnap chicks. This behaviour may arise from penguins who have lost their own young and are attempting to fulfil their parental instincts by adopting or stealing another chick. While this behaviour may satisfy their parental instincts, it ultimately does not benefit the adoptive parent and often leads to the death of the stolen chick.
It is important to note that penguin colonies are generally cooperative and protective of one another. They work together to huddle for warmth, taking turns to ensure each member stays warm. However, the presence of a stolen chick disrupts this harmony, and the adults' instinct to protect their own chicks leads them to reject the stolen chick from their brood patches.
While it may seem cruel that adults drive away stolen chicks, it is a natural response to ensure the survival of their own offspring in the challenging Antarctic environment. The death of the stolen chick is an unfortunate consequence of this protective behaviour.
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Frequently asked questions
Female emperors that fail to find a mate or lose their chick may attempt to steal another female's chick. The mother of the stolen chick will fight to reclaim it, and these scuffles often result in the chick being trampled to death. Stolen chicks are quickly abandoned again as it is impossible for a female to feed and care for a chick alone.
Orphaned chicks will wander around the colony seeking food and protection from adults. They will be driven away by other adults and their chicks. They will rapidly become weaker and die of starvation or freeze to death.
A 2006 study found that emperor penguins with elevated levels of the hormone prolactin were more likely to kidnap chicks.
The father will eventually abandon the chick and it will die very quickly.
