Emperor penguins face extinction by end of century as decline 'worse than previously thought'
New analysis shows the number of Emperor Penguins in Antarctica is declining faster than previously thought, accelerated by warming temperatures and avian flu.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
6 days ago
- News18
What Makes The Antarctic Penguins ‘World's Most Dedicated Dads'
Last Updated: Emperor penguins balance their egg carefully on their feet and cover it with a brood pouch to keep it warm. Father's Day, celebrated this year on June 15, is a time when people express love for their fathers. These are the men who protect, support and care for their children no matter what. But fatherhood isn't just special among humans. It exists in the animal kingdom too. On the occasion, National Geographic shared some incredible facts about emperor penguin dads, calling them 'The World's Most Dedicated Dads." The post begins with a slide that reads, 'The World's Most Dedicated Dads. Meet the emperor penguins who brave the coldest place on Earth to protect their chicks." It then goes on to explain how, in emperor penguin families, it is the fathers who take care of the egg. They balance it carefully on their feet and cover it with a brood pouch to keep it warm. As the mothers head off to the sea in search of food, the responsibility of protecting the egg falls entirely on the fathers. He does not eat anything for nearly two months and never leaves the egg's side during that time. To survive such extreme winter conditions, the penguin dads huddle together in large groups. They protect each other and their eggs from freezing winds by taking turns standing in the warm center of the group. When one dad gets warm, he moves to the edge so another can take his place. The post ends with a powerful message, 'Through darkness, hunger and polar storms, these fathers give everything to keep the next generation alive." The caption shared along with the post reads: 'Here's to the emperor penguin dads who go the extra mile." The post touched a chord with many viewers who shared their thoughts in the comment section. One user commented, 'The world has so much to reflect and learn from them." Another added, 'This is so sweet. Humans have so much to learn from animals." Someone else remarked, 'Ultimate dad goals," while a viewer wished, 'Happy Father's Day to all the Emperor Penguins out there fighting the good fight." 'I think this is truly Amazing!!!" expressed another while a person described it as 'a beautiful personification of selfless love." And lastly, someone even awarded the 'Father of the year" title to emperor penguins. The clips and facts featured in the post are from National Geographic's documentary Secrets of the Penguins. It is streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
Emperor penguin population decline in Antarctica signals a climate crisis
Antarctica's emperor penguins might be disappearing even faster than scientists feared. A fresh look at recent satellite images shows their numbers have dropped by a whopping 22% over just 15 years (from 2009 to 2024) in one major region of the continent—which includes the Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell Sea, and the Bellingshausen Sea. To put that in perspective, an earlier estimate found just a 9.5% drop across all of Antarctica between 2009 and 2018. Now, researchers at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are digging deeper to see if this faster decline is happening all over the continent—or if it's just in this particular zone. 'There's quite a bit of uncertainty in this type of work and what we've seen in this new count isn't necessarily symbolic of the rest of the continent. But if it is – that's worrying because the decline is worse than the worst-case projections we have for emperors this century,' said Dr Peter Fretwell, who studies wildlife from space at BAS. The findings of the study have been published in the journal Nature Communications: Earth & Environment. Why Emperor Penguins are basically antarctica's climate alarm system When you think of Antarctica, chances are a big, fluffy Emperor penguin waddling across the ice pops into your head. And while they're super cute and undeniably iconic, Emperor penguins are also one of the clearest living signals of how climate change is reshaping the southernmost part of our planet. These penguins rely on stable sea ice to survive. They breed, raise their chicks, and find food based on predictable ice conditions. The problem? Antarctica's sea ice is melting faster than ever, and that's throwing their whole lifestyle out of whack. Emperor penguins lay their eggs during the harsh Antarctic winter, balancing them on their feet and covering them with warm flaps of skin. If the ice breaks up too soon or doesn't form in time, their babies don't stand a chance. In some areas, entire colonies have seen chick populations wiped out in a single season due to melting ice. And it's not just about parenting. Less sea ice also means fewer krill—tiny shrimp-like creatures that thrive under the frozen surface and are a major food source for penguins (and a bunch of other marine life). So it's a double whammy: no solid ground to raise chicks and less food to eat. Scientists now consider Emperor penguins to be 'climate-vulnerable,' almost like the polar version of the canary in the coal mine. If they're struggling, it's a big red flag for the rest of the ecosystem. Watching Emperor penguins gives researchers real-time insight into how quickly and dramatically Antarctica is changing. And if the penguins are in trouble, it means the climate is, too.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- ABC News
Emperor penguin populations shrink by almost a quarter, researchers say
Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming melts their icy habitat, researchers say. The estimated population of 16 penguin colonies — visible in satellite photos taken between 2009 and 2024 – had declined by 22 per cent. The losses were around 50 per cent worse than even the most pessimistic estimate of current population, said Peter Fretwell, who tracks wildlife from space at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). It's unclear whether this drop is seen across the continent, scientists said. Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. The study compares with an earlier estimate of a nearly 10 per cent reduction across Antarctica as a whole between 2009 and 2018. Warming is thinning and destabilising the ice under the penguins' feet in their breeding grounds. In recent years, some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Mr Fretwell said the new research suggests penguin numbers have been declining since the monitoring began in 2009. He said warming is also driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators. "Emperor penguins are probably the most clear-cut example of where climate change is really showing its effect," Fretwell told AFP. "There's no fishing. There's no habitat destruction. There's no pollution which is causing their populations to decline. "It's just the temperatures in the ice on which they breed and live, and that's really climate change." Emperor penguins, number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. When she returns to the colony, she feeds the hatchling by regurgitating and then both parents take turns to forage. To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process that typically starts in mid-December. The new research uses satellite imagery during the months of October and November, before the region is plunged into winter darkness. Mr Fretwell said there is hope that the penguins may go further south to colder regions in the future but added that it is not clear "how long they're going to last out there". Interactive story: A stutter in Earth's icy heartbeat has 'gravely concerned' scientists searching for answers. Computer models have projected that the species will be near extinction by the end of the century if humans do not slash their planet-heating emissions. The latest study suggests the picture could be even worse. "We may have to rethink those models now with this new data," said Mr Fretwell. But he stressed there was still time to reduce the threat to the penguins. "We've got this really depressing picture of climate change and falling populations even faster than we thought but it's not too late," he said. "We're probably going to lose a lot of emperor penguins along the way but if people do change, and if we do reduce or turn around our climate emissions, then then we will save the emperor penguin."
