🐧 Emperor penguin vs Ostrich 🐦
The ostrich is about twice as tall as the emperor penguin. The ostrich weighs about 3 times as much as the emperor penguin.
| Row | 🐧 Emperor penguin | 🐦 Ostrich |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the emperor penguin yet. | no checked number yet | 43 mph69 km/h1 |
| Weight The ostrich weighs about 3 times as much as the emperor penguin. | 88 lb40 kg2 | 198 to 300 lb90 to 136 kg1 |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the emperor penguin yet. | no checked number yet | 30 to 40 years30 to 40 years1 |
| Eats The emperor penguin eats fish; the ostrich eats plants and animals. | fish, krill and squid | seeds, grass, leaves, flowers and insects |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the sea ice and seas around Antarctica | the savannas and dry plains of Africa |
Which one? Emperor penguin or ostrich
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the emperor penguin yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/emperor-penguin-vs-ostrich
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Ostrich, checked 30 October 2026.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, press release 25 Oct 2022, checked 30 October 2026.