penguins

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'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...

Escapee Penguin Pulls Off Quite a 'Miracle'

Captivity-born Pen-chan had never been in open ocean before, yet was found 30 miles away

(Newser) - Pen-chan is a 6-year-old Cape penguin born in captivity in Japan who had no experience with the open ocean or predators. So as AFP reports, when she escaped an event on Aug. 25 on Himaka Island, there was little hope for her survival, much less her safe return. As rescuers...

After Gay Penguin Died, His Partner Sang

Sphen was a Gentoo penguin in Australia who made waves

(Newser) - Sphen, the elder partner in a world-famous same-sex penguin couple , has died at age 11, a Sydney aquarium said Thursday. Sphen and his male Gentoo penguin partner Magic, now aged 8, came to international attention in 2018 when they built a pebble nest together in the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium,...

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...

Nasty Bird Flu Hits Antarctic Mammals
An Unwanted First
in Nasty Bird Flu
Jan 30, 2024 1:19 PM CST

An Unwanted First in Nasty Bird Flu

It's been found in sub-Antarctic animals for the first time

(Newser) - An unfortunate milestone has been logged in the continuing spread of a lethal form of bird flu, which has wreaked havoc from continent to continent since it first appeared in 2020. For the first time, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain of H5N1 has been confirmed in sub-Antarctic mammals,...

These Penguins Are Micro-Nap Masters
These Penguins
Sleep a Few
Seconds
at a Time
new study
Nov 30, 2023 1:44 PM CST

These Penguins Sleep a Few Seconds at a Time

Chinstrap penguins are micro-nap masters while guarding their young

(Newser) - It's a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers have discovered. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. So they...

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...

Penguin That Was Walking on His Ankles Gets Help

Lucas at San Diego Zoo is outfitted with orthopedic footwear

(Newser) - A member of the San Diego Zoo's African penguin colony has been fitted with orthopedic footwear to help it deal with a degenerative foot condition. The 4-year-old penguin named Lucas has lesions on his feet due to a chronic condition known as bumblefoot, which covers a range of avian...

Dozens of Penguins Stung to Death by Bees

63 endangered African penguins were found Friday on a South African beach

(Newser) - More than five dozen African penguins have met a sad end in South Africa, in what bird conservationists say is a most uncommon incident. AFP reports that 63 of the endangered birds were found dead Friday on Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, a suburb of Cape Town, and their...

Schoolkids Discover New Species of Penguin
Children's
Field Trip
Yields New
Penguin Species
new study
Sep 17, 2021 9:20 AM CDT

Children's Field Trip Yields New Penguin Species

Kairuku waewaeroa lived eons ago in New Zealand

(Newser) - The Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club lived up to its name—its school-aged members are credited with discovering a new species of giant penguin. The discovery of the fossil actually occurred back in 2006 in New Zealand, but researchers didn't identify the new species until this week in the Journal ...

Tasmanian Devils Wipe Out Penguin Colony

They were introduced to Maria Island as insurance against extinction

(Newser) - A plan to protect Tasmanian devils from extinction came at a hellish price for penguins and other birds on an Australian island. Researchers say that after a small number of the carnivorous marsupials were shipped to Maria Island, east of Tasmania, in 2012, the island's population of 3,000...

Same-Sex Penguins Have Their Own Baby Chick

Electra and Viola are now parents

(Newser) - Meet Electra and Viola: The female penguin couple is making headlines after welcoming a newly hatched chick to the world, CBS News reports. Seems they adopted an egg from other penguins—really, it was given to them—and incubated and hatched it as their own. According to NBC News , the...

Penguins' First Home: Not Antarctica
Penguins' First Home
Isn't What We Thought
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2020 10:55 AM CDT

Penguins' First Home Isn't What We Thought

Researchers trace origin to Australia, New Zealand, not Antarctica, some 22M years ago

(Newser) - Penguins have had quite the journey, from Australia some 22 million years ago to modern-day Antarctica, according to a new study. With help from institutions around the world, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed blood and tissue samples from 18 species of penguins, finding that the animals originated...

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...

At Closed Aquarium, Penguins Take a Stroll
At Closed Aquarium,
Penguins Take a Stroll
video
Mar 17, 2020 7:57 AM CDT

At Closed Aquarium, Penguins Take a Stroll

With humans barred, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium lets them wander

(Newser) - Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has provided a rare bright spot amid the coronavirus news: Video of penguins strolling around the joint, reports CNN . The museum is closed to the public for the near future, so the penguins' caretakers let them go on what they called a "field trip" to...

Researchers Listen to Penguins, Hear a First
Researchers Listen
to Penguins, Hear a First
new study
Feb 6, 2020 8:51 AM CST

Researchers Listen to Penguins, Hear a First

Traits such as shorter syllables found for first time outside primates

(Newser) - When it comes to language, penguins and humans appear to have a thing or two in common. Researchers studied the calls of African penguins and found that their vocal patterns follow two distinct patterns that until now have never been seen outside primates, reports the Ecologist . First, the penguins' most...

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...

For Sale: One of the Falkland Islands
For Sale: One of
the Falkland Islands
Dec 13, 2018 11:10 AM CST

For Sale: One of the Falkland Islands

Name your price, because the sellers aren't sure

(Newser) - Have a huge affinity for penguins? A family in Wales is accepting offers on one of the Falkland Islands, where tens of thousands of penguins from five species run amuck. An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area, as well as the third largest offshore island in the archipelago at 20 miles...

A Marine Park Was Abandoned in January. Its Animals Remain

Photos of dolphin, penguins spark public outcry at Japan's Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium

(Newser) - A solitary bottlenose dolphin swims in a small pool enclosed by a rusty railing. Not far away, dust-covered penguins wander over chunks of concrete and other debris. This has been life at Japan's Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium since January when its owner abandoned it, citing a decline in visitors....

Biggest King Penguin Colony Sees a Catastrophic Drop

Population at remote French island falls 90% in 3 decades

(Newser) - The last time scientists visited the remote French island of Île aux Cochons in the Indian Ocean, they found more than 2 million king penguins, including 500,000 breeding pairs. That was 1982, and it gave the island the distinction of being the largest such colony in the world....

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