Summary
Water and sodium turnovers of 6–7 week old gentoo penguin chicks and breeding adults were measured using isotopically labelled water and sodium. Influx rates for chicks averaged 188 ml·kg-1·day-1 and 13.9 mmol·kg-1·day-1 for water and sodium, respectively. Chicks consumed an estimated 228 g·kg-1·day-1 fresh food or 886 kJ kg-1 day. These values correspond to 761 g·day-1 or 2945 kJ·day-1 for a gentoo chick mid-way through the growth period. Flux rates for adults attending chicks ranged from 199 to 428 ml·kg-1·day-1 for water and from 15 to 36 mmol·kg-1·ay-1 for sodium.
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Robertson, G., Green, B. & Newgrain, K. Estimated feeding rates and energy requirements of gentoo penguins, Pygoscelis papua, at Macquarie Island. Polar Biol 9, 89–93 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00442034
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00442034