This Island Was Home to the Planet’s Largest Penguin Colony. Here’s Why It Just Lost that Title
Researchers linked the decline to warming seas that are disrupting krill, the penguins’ main food source, and said macaroni penguins rose 28%.
- On Wednesday, a British Antarctic Survey study revealed that Zavodovski Island's chinstrap penguin population fell 63% between 2011 and 2025. The volcanic island lost its title as the world's largest penguin colony to Cape Adare.
- Climate-Driven warming has forced Antarctic krill southward into the Weddell Sea, disrupting the chinstraps' primary food source. Professor Norman Ratcliffe, the study's lead author, explained that chinstraps cannot tolerate the icy waters required to reach these retreating supplies.
- Unlike chinstraps, macaroni penguins have a broader diet and their population rose 28% while remaining stable. Researchers ruled out the 2016 Mount Curry eruption as the primary cause, noting the decline preceded the volcanic event.
- Populations across the South Sandwich Islands—home to 38% of the species—are falling, raising concerns among experts. Study findings suggest these declines could lead to an "endangered" classification on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Researchers warn that even the most remote parts of the planet are not immune to climate change. This numerical shift represents the most striking change in penguin community composition ever observed at a single location in Antarctica.
16 Articles
16 Articles
نُشر هذا المقال أولاً عبر Cedarnews.net. More reviews موقعنا. Half a million keel-banded penguins have disappeared from the sub-Antarctic island of Zavodovski. تم نشر هذا الخبر عبر موقع Cedarnews الإخباري. للاطلاع على مزيد من الأخبار العاجلة زوروا موقعنا الرسمي.
Inside the Collapse of Earth's Largest Penguin Colony
New research shows that a remote, uninhabited volcanic island has lost over half a million chinstrap penguins in 15 years to warming seas—stripping the outcrop of its title as the largest penguin colony on Earth.
This island was home to the planet’s largest penguin colony. Here’s why it just lost that title
By Laura Paddison, CNN (CNN) — An uninhabited volcanic island in the Southern Ocean used to be home to the largest penguin colony in the world — but not anymore. Scientists have discovered the staggering loss of more than half a million chinstrap penguins from the isolated outcrop.Chinstrap penguins, named for the narrow band of
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 74% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
