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Ice Melt Threatens Emperor Penguins During Annual Moult: Researchers
Shrinking Antarctic sea ice has reduced emperor penguin moulting areas by nearly 80%, raising risks of hypothermia, exhaustion, and predation, British Antarctic Survey researchers said.
- Researchers at the British Antarctic Survey analysing seven years of satellite images accidentally discovered moulting colonies along Marie Byrd Land and found only 25 groups visible in 2025, down from more than 100 before 2022.
- In West Antarctica, sea ice extent fell from 2.8m sq km to 1.79m sq km, with regional fast-ice coverage dropping to 100,000 sq km in 2023, forcing habitat loss.
- The birds cannot swim for about four to five weeks while moulting, consuming up to 50% of body mass, raising immediate mortality risks if entering water, Fretwell said.
- Researchers fear thousands may have frozen in Antarctic waters, and Fretwell plans to compare satellite findings with an imminent Ross Sea population count, as the 45% extinction chance looms.
- Some penguins may have moved to East Antarctica to moult, while a few groups adapt on shallow ice shelves, but these shifts disrupt breeding and feeding, and this year only a handful are visible.
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Ice melt threatens emperor penguins during annual moult: Researchers
PARIS: Emperor penguins shed all their feathers once a year, a precarious ritual that may have become deadly as climate change pushes them into shrinking patches of Antarctic sea ice, researchers said Wednesday (Feb 25).The flightless birds moult during summer, relying on stored fat to survive for several wee
·Singapore
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Scientists have found that the annual event where emperor penguins completely shed and restore their feathers puts birds at risk as Antarctica changes due to warming
Habitat diminishing: Ice melt threatens emperor penguins during annual moult: researchers
·Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
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Total News Sources19
Leaning Left0Leaning Right4Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Center
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
60% Center
C 60%
R 40%
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