A penguin species that lived millions of years ago would have dwarfed today’s biggest living penguins and stood as tall as most humans, according to analysis of fossils by a team of researchers from the La Plata Museum in Argentina. Palaeeudyptes klekowskii has already been dubbed the “colossus penguin”, and is the most complete fossil […]
Tag: penguin
Can penguins cope with climate change? Scientists find different types of ice elicit different responses
Human-caused climate change is altering the habitat of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). In an article recently published in PLOS ONE, a team of researchers led by Amélie Lescroël from the Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CNRS) in France, found that changes in sea-ice content and newly formed icebergs significantly impacted Adélie penguin communities in the […]
Penguins suffering from climate change, scientists say
Penguins are in peril because of extreme environmental conditions linked to climate change, research has shown. Two new studies highlight the plight of penguin colonies trying to cope with the effects of global warming in Argentina and Antarctica. At both locations, the beguiling birds face an uncertain future. Climate change is killing chicks from the […]
Creature Feature: Atlantic Puffin
Fantastic coloring and undeniable charm makes the Atlantic puffin one of the most popular and recognizable seabird species – but there’s a lot more to these sturdy birds than you’d first expect. Atlantic puffins are known for their distinctive black-and-white coloring and their brilliant bills. The large, triangular bills sport brilliant red, blue, and yellow […]
Creature Feature: Emperor Penguin
Chances are you’ve seen an emperor penguin before—at least in photographs or while watching the movie Happy Feet. But did you know that these charismatic birds are one of the hardiest species on the planet? Emperor penguins are the world’s largest penguin and are found year-round only in Antarctica. Like other penguins they can’t fly—instead, […]
Review: Bird Sense: What it’s Like to be a Bird, by Tim Birkhead
Who’d be a bird anyway? Chickens have bi-focal vision: one eye for the close-up work of pecking seed; one for the fox on the horizon or the hawk in the sky. Peregrine falcons don’t swoop directly on prey – as the crow flies, to coin a phrase – but in a wide arc, using the […]
No place like home: scientists discover that male crested penguins head home earlier than females
Male crested penguins are hard workers – especially when it comes to their elaborate breeding ritual. After gathering in massive colonies to mate, they find and establish a nesting site, help incubate the eggs females lay, and then guard the chicks after they hatch. Male crested penguins have also been known to arrive at their […]
Plan to preserve the world’s ‘last ocean’ killed by Russia
As the most pristine marine ecosystem on the planet, Antarctica’s Ross Sea has become dubbed the world’s “last ocean.” Home to an abundance of penguins, whales, orcas, seals, and massive fish, the Ross Sea has so far largely avoided the degradation that has impacted much of the world’s other marine waters. However, a landmark proposal […]