The Life Cycle of Penguins: Egg to Chick
Without trying to address the old chestnut "which came first, the penguin
or the egg?", we can at least assert that all penguins today start out
as eggs. The eggs are incubated, usually by both parents taking turns,
for up to 8 weeks depending on the species - larger penguins lay larger
eggs which take longer to incubate. The development of the embryo
in the egg follows a similar path to that of any bird - you will find plenty
of examples of the development of chicken eggs in biology textbooks, and
for all practical purposes you can consider penguin eggs to follow the
same stages (although the timescale of the development will differ).
Once the chick is fully developed it chips its way out of the egg using
an "egg-tooth" on the end of its beak. Most penguin chicks take around
a day to fully extract themselves from their eggs. Once they emerge
from the eggs the chicks are at the mercy of the elements. They have
very little protection from the cold or wet, so they rely on their parents
for warmth and shelter as well as for food.
Guide to Pete & Barb's Penguin Pages
Front Page and Introduction
· Descriptions of the Penguins
· Detailed Species Notes ·
Breeding Behaviour · Common
questions · Penguin Goodies ·
Penguin Bibliography · Good
Penguin Guide · Photo Index ·
Links to other penguin sites ·
'Penguin-balls' · Endangered
Penguins ·