Scientists at the Australian Antarctic Division have recorded a severe decline in a population of Adélie penguins off the east Antarctic coast. Long-term monitoring has revealed a 43% drop over a decade in the number of birds that breed across 52 islands near the Mawson research station. The scientists say the decline is a stark […]
Tag: antarctica
6 Exciting Ways To See More Wild Animals
Generally speaking, all animals are spectacular, but there’s just something special about the wild ones that words cannot describe properly. Maybe it’s the fact that we do not get to see them on a regular basis, hence coming face to face with them is a truly extraordinary experience. Unfortunately, the modern world hasn’t given its […]
Antarctic researchers gain insights from on high as they count seals from space
Researchers believe they have accurately estimated Antarctica’s Weddell seal population for the first time – using images from space and the eyes of hundreds of thousands of citizen scientists. Weddell seals are a key indicator species in the Southern Ocean, for both sea ice fluctuations and shifts in the food web. They can live up […]
Scientists Discover Bird Species at Tip of South America
Weighing just 0.035 pounds (16 grams), it’s understandable why the Subantarctic rayadito has only just been discovered. Scientists recently discovered the species on the Diego Ramírez Islands, off the southern tip of South America. The species is small with brown, black, and dark yellow feathers. But one of its most interesting features is the bird’s […]
As climate change melts Antarctic ice, gentoo penguins venture further south
The crew of the M/V Arctic Sunrise, an icebreaker vessel owned by Greenpeace, were sailing through Antarctica’s Weddell Sea this month when they saw something they didn’t expect. “One of the scientists on board, Alex Borowicz … was looking through the binoculars from the bridge of our ship,” Louisa Casson, an ocean campaigner with Greenpeace […]
‘It is phenomenal’: Farne Islands seal numbers expected to reach new high
“This is what it’s all about,” said Richard Bevan, beaming. “To see this many seals when 10 years ago there would not have been any.” Bevan is a zoologist surveying the shore of Inner Farne island off the coast of north Northumberland. As far as the eye can sea there are about 100 female grey […]
‘Super rare’: Antarctic penguin washes up in New Zealand, 3,000km from home
An Antarctic penguin has traversed 3,000km of icy waters to find himself far from home and on new and puzzling shores: the south-eastern coastline of New Zealand. The Adélie penguin in question, affectionately named “Pingu” by locals, was spotted looking somewhat lost at Birdlings Flat, a small settlement on New Zealand’s South Island. It’s only […]
Penguin escapes killer whales by hopping onto boat full of tourists
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 […]