Which sex of emperor penguin incubates the egg after it is laid?
Answer
The male
The male emperor penguin incubates the egg after the female lays it.
After laying a single egg, the female carefully transfers it to the male’s feet. He balances the egg on his feet and covers it with a warm fold of abdominal skin called a brood pouch. The female then travels to the sea to feed, while the male remains on the Antarctic ice.
Incubation lasts about 65 to 75 days. During this period, males cluster together to conserve heat and may lose a substantial amount of body mass. When the female returns, she regurgitates food for the chick, and the parents then share feeding duties.
The emperor penguin’s breeding cycle is unusual because it takes place during the Antarctic winter. The male’s incubation role is sometimes confused with the better-known shared parental care of many other penguin species.