A penguin was captured on film escaping from a pod of killer whales by jumping into a boat full of tourists in Antarctica. The extraordinary spectacle followed a dramatic chase in which the bird circled the tour boat and attempted repeatedly to leap out of the water to safety. The frightened penguin was being pursued […]
Tag: antarctica
POLL: Should Australia be allowed to construct a new airport and runway in Antarctica?
Australia is planning to build Antarctica’s biggest infrastructure project: a new airport and runway that would increase the human footprint in the world’s greatest wilderness by an estimated 40%. The mega-scheme is likely to involve blasting petrel rookeries, disturbing penguin colonies and encasing a stretch of the wilderness in more than 115,000 tonnes of concrete. […]
Blue Whales Return to South Georgia from Antarctica after 100 Years
Endangered blue whales, the largest animal in history, have returned to waters of South Georgia, close to Antarctica after 100 years of near extinction. Scientists have recorded dozens of whales in the area after only a single whale had been viewed between 1998 and 2018. “We’ve had indications in previous years that there might […]
World’s Largest Iceberg on Course to Hit Penguin Populations
The world’s largest iceberg is headed for Antarctica. Scientists say there’s a possibility the iceberg could anchor itself offshore of the South Atlantic island. This spot is home to thousands of seals and penguins, which would see their food gathering disrupted should the island get the iceberg. If it stays on course, the iceberg would […]
Adélie penguins could thrive as result of sea ice melting
Adélie penguin populations could boom in coming years, according to research revealing the small birds find it easier to forage when sea ice is sparse around continental Antarctica. While, overall, sea ice extent has increased in the Antarctic over recent decades, in the past few years it has fallen dramatically – a matter of deep […]
Alarm over collapse of chinstrap penguin numbers
Colonies of chinstrap penguins have fallen by more than half across islands in Antarctica, prompting scientific concern that “something is broken” in the world’s wildest ecosystem. After more than a month counting chicks in the South Shetland Islands, researchers suspect global heating is behind the sharp fall in numbers of the distinctive birds, which get […]
Emperor penguins could disappear by 2100 if nations don’t cap emissions
If the climate continues to change at its current pace, most emperor penguins could become extinct by the end of this century, a new study predicts. However, if countries meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, limiting the global increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, then that would […]
How Did a Dead Humpback Whale End Up in the Amazon Rainforest?
When they followed vultures into the rainforest on Marajó Island in Brazil, near the mouth of the Amazon River officials with the state health, sanitation and environment department made a surprising discovery. The birds were feeding on the carcass of a 10-ton, 26-foot-long humpback whale calf. The calf, about a year old, was in an […]