Using satellite images, British researchers have discovered four previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica. These endangered animals are the largest penguins in the world. They raise their chicks on frozen sea ice.
The shrinking of these ice sheets along the Antarctic coast has forced several emperor penguin colonies to move in search of more stable sea ice to breed, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) report on their website.
Moved to new breeding grounds
Some known colonies have already moved 30 to 40 kilometers to new breeding areas. When researchers from the British Polar Research Program looked for this using satellite images, they also discovered four colonies that had not been recorded before.
This includes a colony in Halley Bay that was previously thought to have disappeared and which resettled after the Brunt Ice Shelf calved near the MacDonald Ice Floes, 30 kilometers east of the original site, the BAS reports on its website.
With the newly discovered colonies and the reintroduction into Halley Bay, the total number of known emperor penguin colonies now stands at 66, the BAS researchers said. Even if the discovery of the new colonies doesn’t significantly change population estimates, it will provide valuable insights into the penguins’ movements, they say.
Because emperor penguin breeding grounds are usually located in remote, inaccessible and often inhospitable areas, satellite images are used to detect and monitor them. The brown spots of the flightless birds’ droppings stand out clearly against the pure white of ice and snow.
Threatened with extinction due to global warming
Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species with a size of about 120 centimeters. They need sea ice to reproduce. BAS researchers warn that, under current global warming scenarios, 80 percent of colonies would be virtually extinct by the end of the century.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
