[Weight variations and energy expenditure in the Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)].

Ponderal loss of fasting Pygoscelis adeliae in an enclosure is linear; minimum for brooders, it triples during moult, and it the fasting period continues to a level below 3,3-3,5 kg, it quintuples. This critical slope could indicate the passage from a lipidic to a protidic metabolism.