Aptenodytes or King Penguin Skull Replica measures 8.2 inches. King Penguin Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA.

The King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin. They appear very similar to the larger, closely related emperor penguin, with a broad cheek patch contrasting with surrounding dark feathers and yellow-orange plumage at the top of the chest.

The cheek patch of the adult King penguin is a solid bright orange whereas that of the emperor penguin is yellow and white, and the upper chest tends to be more orange and less yellowish in the king species.

Both have colorful markings along the side of their lower mandible, but these tend towards pink in emperor penguin and orange in king penguin.

Aptenodytes or King penguins mainly eat lanternfish, squid, and krill. On foraging trips, king penguins repeatedly dive to over 300 ft., and have been recorded at depths greater than 1,000 ft. Predators of the king penguin include giant petrels, skuas, the snowy sheathbill, the leopard seal, and the Orca.

The King penguin breeds on the Subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, southern Argentina, and other temperate islands of the region. It also lives on Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.

Aptenodytes or King Penguin bird was exploited commercially in the past for its blubber, oil, meat, and feathers. Today, it is fully protected.

The species is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Since 2004, the IUCN has reported that the population size is large and has increased its breeding rates. Adult king penguins have maintained high survival rates since the 1970s.

The steady population of Aptenodytes or King Penguins is due largely to current conservation efforts to protect nesting habitats. Ecotourism and public access to all king penguin breeding sites are heavily restricted in order to prevent outbreaks of disease and general disturbance.

All of the colonies in Crozet and Kerguelen Islands are protected under the oversight of the Reserve Naturelle Nationales des Terres australes et Antarctiques Françaises.

South Georgian penguins reside in a special protected area within the Environmental Management Plan for South Georgia. In the Falklands, all wildlife, including the king penguin is protected under the Conservation of Wildlife and Nature Bill of 1999.

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