By Julie

Equally important to the Adélie penguin, the other Antarctic species is the exceptionally elegant Emperor penguin. Every winder’s end on this frozen continent, there comes a miraculous, exciting sound, full of wonder. Peck, peck! Peck, peck! The sound of hatching chicks! Why is this so miraculous, exciting, and wonderful? These emperor penguins are the only Antarctic bird to breed in the coldest season- winter! When baby eggs are struggling to thrive, temperatures can drop as low as -80 degrees, 80 degrees lower temperature than a freezer, and winds can get as raging as 125 MPH! How do even adults survive this cold, you wonder? Imagine wearing a thick, thick coat with even 70 feathers per square inch on it. That’s what the amazingly insulated Emperor feels like! Babies, after born, huddle together in créches, little “playgroups” to keep them warm. They also stay in their parents’ brood patch- a warm area under their stomachs- even after they hatch, until they can regulate their own body temperature. Another interesting fact about their way of life is that they can dive 1,752 feet underwater and hold their breath for 18 minutes at a time!!!!! In fact, these penguins are clearly record-breakers. The biggest penguins, they can get up to four feet tall, which is so tall they could walk on the bottom of almost half of the big pool at an average recreation center without a problem! Emperors have black beaks and white bellies with a tinge of orange around their chests. Wait- one more record coming up! Emperors are the only penguins that may never touch land in a lifetime other than ice floes floating in the water! No wonder they’re good swimmers! These penguins are literally the “Amazing Atheletes of Antarctica”. Imagine how amazing it would be to rule Antarctica like a real monarch as one of these awesome emperors.
NOTE: This nonfiction paragraph was written for a school project.