How big is Emperor penguin?
Emperor penguin: 1.15 m (3.77 ft). Measured as standing height — an adult (1.1–1.3 m).
Source: Wikipedia — Emperor penguin
Where it sits
Among the 23 animals on this page emperor penguin ranks 20th from the top by size. The largest in the group is blue whale at 29.9 m, which is 26× the size of emperor penguin, while the smallest, honey bee, is 13 mm.
Next to an adult of 1.7 m it is small: the person is 1.48× bigger, so 1 of them laid end to end would reach one person's height.
In everyday distances
It fits inside a football pitch 91 times over — a pitch is about 105 m and emperor penguin is only 1.15 m.
Walking at an easy 1.4 m/s you cover 1.15 m in 821 milliseconds. A jet at 900 km/h covers it in 5 milliseconds.
Next to its neighbours in size
The nearest thing larger than it in this collection is hippopotamus at 1.5 m (4.92 ft), 1.3× the size. Note the two figures are not the same measurement: for emperor penguin it is standing height, for hippopotamus it is shoulder height.
The nearest thing smaller is house cat at 46 cm (1.51 ft), so emperor penguin is 2.5× as big as it. They sit in the same group.
Against fixed yardsticks
Against three fixed yardsticks — Eiffel Tower (330 m) is 287× the size of emperor penguin; blue whale (29.9 m) is 26× the size of emperor penguin; Earth (12,742 km) is 11,080,000× the size of emperor penguin.
How this figure was taken
Animal sizes vary from one individual to the next, so each figure says which individual or average it describes. Heights are taken at the shoulder or standing; lengths run nose to tail tip unless stated.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.
Read the rest — common questions
How big is the emperor penguin?
1.15 m (3.77 ft), measured as standing height: an adult (1.1–1.3 m).
Where does the emperor penguin rank among animals?
Number 20 of 23 on this site, from blue whale at 29.9 m down to honey bee at 13 mm.
What is the next size up?
Hippopotamus, at 1.5 m, is 1.3× the size.
What is the next size down?
House cat, at 46 cm, is 2.5× smaller.
How reliable is the figure?
It is taken from the cited Wikipedia article and states its basis (an adult (1.1–1.3 m)). Values are rounded, and where individuals differ the figure is a representative one, so expect small differences from other sources.