Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other marine life they catch while swimming in the water. They spend about half their time on land and the other half in the oceans.

Journey from the sea:  When it’s time to mate, emperor penguins will travel about 90km (56 miles) from the sea inland to their snow-covered breeding grounds.

Mating:  Penguins mate and mate between March and April. Temperatures are as low as -40°C (-104°F).

Spawn:  Emperor penguins lay eggs from May to June. Each female lays exactly one egg.

Incubation : From June to July, the female gives the eggs to the male to take care of, and he returns to the sea. The male will keep the eggs warm until they hatch. This process is called incubation.

Eggs hatch:  The female will return from the sea around August. Sometimes the egg has already hatched, and if not, it will retrieve the egg from the male. When the eggs hatch, the female will keep the chicks warm in her incubator bag.

Feeding:  Females feed their young by regurgitating food stored in their stomachs. The food now looks like a paste or oil mixture.

Moult:  By December, the young bird begins to molt – it sheds its own feathers and begins to grow a fine, waterproof coat. This means that the young penguins will soon be able to swim.

Back at sea:  Around January to February, young penguins are ready to head out to sea for the first time. At about 3 years old, the penguin will be ready to mate and a life cycle of this bird can start anew.