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The Ultimate Egg
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Birds

Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

About

Emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest of all penguin species, standing 1.1 meters tall and weighing up to 45 kg. They breed in the most extreme conditions of any bird — on Antarctic sea ice in the dead of winter.

Their Eggs

A single pear-shaped, pale greenish-white egg. Relatively small for the bird's body size — about 460g (1 lb).

Egg Size Comparison

Chicken 55mm
Penguin 120mm
218% of chicken egg

Fun Fact

The male emperor penguin incubates the single egg on top of his feet, covered by a feathered brood pouch, for 65 days in temperatures as low as -60°C (-76°F) and winds up to 200 km/h. He doesn't eat for the entire incubation period.