First, a black dot appears in the distance. More dots join, forming meandering lines across the newly white icescape. “Then all of a sudden, you hear the first calls,” photographer Stefan Christmann says. That’s when it really hits him: “Wow. The birds are coming back.” It’s late March in Atka Bay, in Antarctica’s Queen Maud […]
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 […]
Scientists in Antarctica have recorded the world’s longest penguin dive, an astounding 32.2 minutes under the water; a full five minutes longer than the previous record. Emperor penguins, which live only in Antartica, are the tallest and heaviest penguins in the world, and have the best diving ability. They can dive as much as 500 […]
A global campaign is being launched to turn a huge tract of the seas around the Antarctic into the world’s biggest sanctuary, protecting wildlife and helping the fight against climate change. The huge 1.8m sq km reserve – five times the size of Germany – would ban all fishing in a vast area of the […]
During Winter Storm Grayson, aka the “Bomb Cyclone,” temperatures on the East Coast dropped below those on Mars. While 21 people had died as of Jan. 6, the storm also affected animals that aren’t used to such cold weather, including iguanas in Florida, sea turtles along the Gulf Coast and even penguins in a zoo. […]
As climate change continues to impact habitats, some animals can survive by moving to new areas. But Antarctica’s Emperor penguins may not have that luxury, according to researchers. According to a study that was led by researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), moving may help them in the short term, but as sea ice […]
As the only continent not permanently inhabited by humans, Antarctica is home to some of the most pristine ecosystems on the planet. Attracted by its fish-rich waters, some 46 species of birds, from skuas to storm petrels, have spread their wings to this largely barren, but far from lifeless, icy continent. But even on this […]
If it looks like a penguin and acts like a penguin—well, sometimes it’s not a penguin. A remote-controlled rover designed to sneak undetected into penguin colonies in Antarctica works better than other research methods, a new study says. The penguin-camouflaged technology is so realistic, it even fools live emperor penguins into trying to communicate with […]