emperor penguins

17 Stories

Lost Emperor Penguin Learns Sand Is Not Snow

Male nicknamed Gus is first of his species to reach Australia, 2.2K miles from home

(Newser) - A seabird rehabilitator in Australia is on a learning curve, caring for her first ever emperor penguin—the first of his species known to have made the 2,200-mile swim from Antarctica. The male emperor penguin, nicknamed Gus after the Roman emperor Augustus, turned up on Ocean Beach near Australia'...

'World's Unluckiest Penguins' Catch a Life-Saving Break

Antarctic colony unexpectedly survived after iceberg blocked sea access

(Newser) - Peter Fretwell at the British Antarctic Survey has called them "maybe the world's unluckiest" penguins, but they caught an unexpected break over the summer. When a massive iceberg broke off from the Brunt ice shelf in May and drifted to a stop in front of the Halley Bay...

It Was Another Tough Year for Emperor Penguin Chicks
It Was Another Tough Year
for Emperor Penguin Chicks
NEW STUDY
Apr 26, 2024 10:55 AM CDT

It Was Another Tough Year for Emperor Penguin Chicks

20% of colonies experienced breeding failures tied to record low sea ice: study

(Newser) - Low sea ice is wreaking havoc on emperor penguins year after year, likely resulting in the total wipeout of chicks in some colonies. Nearly a third of emperor penguin colonies experienced early sea-ice loss in 2022, resulting in catastrophic breeding failures. Though marked by an even lower sea ice extent...

Poop Seen From Space Leads to Emperor Penguin Discovery

4 colonies are newly identified

(Newser) - Scientists have spotted previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica, all thanks to poop that could be seen from space. As NBC News reports, Peter Fretwell with the British Antarctic Survey used satellite imagery to spot "tell-tale patches" of penguin guano against the white snow. It's encouraging...

US Adds Emperor Penguins to Threatened Species List

Designation is a 'call to action,' says director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service

(Newser) - Emperor penguins, the species seen in March of the Penguins, are marching toward extinction due to habitat loss caused by climate change, scientists warn. The birds, the biggest species of penguin, were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. The...

Emperor Penguin Poop Reveals Hidden Colonies

On the downside, all are in fragile areas

(Newser) - Good news following a massive breeding failure of emperor penguins: There are 20% more colonies in Antarctica than previously known. They were discovered thanks to patches of penguin poop so large they could be seen from space. The red-brown guano left behind on ice, captured in high-resolution images from a...

Catastrophe Drowned Thousands of Penguin Chicks

Emperor colony has suffered total breeding failure

(Newser) - The second-biggest breeding ground for Antarctica's emperor penguins is now almost completely deserted after a 2016 catastrophe, researchers say. Satellite photos show that the Halley Bay colony in the Weddell Sea, where around 8% of the world's emperor penguins normally breed, disappeared almost overnight, the BBC reports. Researchers...

Fossil Find: Penguins the Size of NBA Players

Klekowskii penguin would have dwarfed modern cousins

(Newser) - At 90 pounds, the emperor penguin has earned the title of World's Biggest Penguin—but it once had a relative that could have blown it out of the proverbial water. Researchers have discovered fossils of a 250-pound penguin on Antarctica's Seymour Island, Phys.org reports. Palaeeudyptes klekowskii lived...

Study Paints Bleak Picture for Emperor Penguins

 Emperor Penguins 
 Marching Toward Peril 
study says
Jun 30, 2014 6:58 AM CDT

Emperor Penguins Marching Toward Peril

Study: Climate change to cause steep population declines by 2100

(Newser) - The iconic Emperor penguin is now marching toward its own demise thanks to climate change, according to the first study to assess the creature's long-term chances. An international team of scientists studying Antarctica's Emperor penguin population is calling for the birds to be reclassified as "endangered" after...

Scientists Count 600K Penguins From Space

That's double the number of emperors thought in Antarctica

(Newser) - It's a pretty nifty science story to begin with: Scientists used a new technique to conduct what National Geographic calls the "first-ever penguin census from space." They pored over satellite images of Antarctica with resolution sharp enough to count about 600,000 emperor penguins on the continent....

Scientists Lose Track of 'Happy Feet' Penguin

Transmitter probably fell off, trackers hope

(Newser) - The story of "Happy Feet," the wayward emperor penguin that turned up in New Zealand, has captivated the world, but we may never know how it ends. The young penguin was returned to the wild last week and a transmitter that was attached to him has stopped relaying...

120K Following Penguin Via Webcam

Happy Feet doing well, to be released soon

(Newser) - Happy Feet is now a creature of the Internet age. The wayward emperor penguin, discovered on a New Zealand beach six weeks ago, will soon be returned to the wild —but not before he picked up an online following of more than 120,000. That's how many unique...

Zoo Plans Release of Lost Penguin

'Happy Feet' still improving, but it's only getting a partway-ride home

(Newser) - A young emperor penguin that turned up on a New Zealand beach won't be getting a free ride all the way back to its Antarctic home—but the bird's human friends will at least help it get a little closer. Today, an advisory group headed by the nation'...

Wayward Penguin Better After Surgery

'Happy Feet' had been eating sand and wood

(Newser) - New Zealand's favorite penguin visitor is more lively and eating fish after undergoing endoscopic surgery today to remove some of the beach sand and twigs it swallowed, apparently mistaking it for snow. Full recovery for the young emperor penguin—nicknamed Happy Feet—may take months, and officials are still...

Lost Emperor Penguin Moved to Wellington Zoo
 Lost Penguin Moved to NZ Zoo 
Jun 24, 2011 4:02 AM CDT

Lost Penguin Moved to NZ Zoo

Health is suffering after 2K-mile trek from home

(Newser) - Conservation officials in New Zealand have decided against letting nature take its course with a young Emperor penguin who turned up on a beach 2,000 miles from his Antarctic home. The penguin—nicknamed "Happy Feet"—was moved to a zoo in Wellington after his health appeared to...

Penguin Spotted 2K Miles From Home

Emperor penguin likely got lost hunting for food

(Newser) - A young Emperor penguin took a rare wrong turn from the Antarctic and ended up stranded in New Zealand—the first time in 44 years the aquatic bird has been sighted there in the wild. The penguin is about 10 months old and stands about 32 inches high, experts say....

Experts Get the Poop on Penguins

(Newser) - Emperor penguin droppings are so concentrated that the reddish-brown guano has been spotted from space, reports the Times of London. That's a good thing because it's helping scientists pinpoint colonies of the giant birds in Antarctica and help experts track climate change affects. “The ice gets pretty dirty and...

17 Stories