The Future of Emperor Penguins
Penguins are the face of Antarctica. From the curious scamperings of the Adélie penguins, to the slow and more dignified waddle (if a waddle can ever be called dignified!) of the Emperor penguins. Penguins cover the ice-scape of Antarctica, their tuxedo black backs contrasting against the snow as they toboggan along their bellies.
But penguins aren't just cute, they are also highly unique and adaptable animals. They can;
Travel thousands of kilometres in search for food.
Dive to depths up to 500m.
Endure temperatures as low as -60°C (-76°F) and wind of up to 200 km/h (124 mph)
And even drink sea-water with a special gland allowing them to excrete the salt.
Yet despite their unique ability to adapt to the extremes of our planet, their population is under threat.
In recent years, sea-ice extent has decreased to record low levels. Emperor penguins rely on stable layers of sea ice to lay their eggs and nurture their young during the harsh winters. It takes months before the chicks are old enough to survive on their own, and when sea ice and the breeding grounds melt prematurely, many chicks and unhatched eggs are lost. If trends continue as they are, research suggests there could be a near extinction in Emperor penguin populations by the end of the century (Jenouvrier et al., 2021).
And while Adelie penguins nest on land, they, along with the Emperor penguins, rely on sea ice for feeding. If the ice retreats from their colonies, they must travel further to find food, leading to higher mortality rates as the chicks are left unattended for longer. The increased distance also exposes them to more predators such as leopard seals and orcas, with some colonies near warmer surface waters already showing signs of experiencing drastic population declines (Cimino et al., 2016).
The reduction in sea ice extent is a signal of the broader environmental impacts affecting our planet (Trathan et al., 2021). Global action is needed to address climate change, while creating marine protected areas around key breeding and feeding grounds can help mitigate some of the immediate threats to the penguins. Supporting conservation and raising awareness about the climate threats we face can make a difference. We cannot imagine a world where Antarctic penguins no longer exist. Visiting their colonies and watching them from the deck of the ship as they waddled along the ice and dove through the waves was a magical experience. We need the extremes of our planet to remain extreme, so that the waddle of the penguin can be enjoyed by generations to come and the ecosystems and diversity of our planet maintained.
References
Jenouvrier, S., Che‐Castaldo, J., Wolf, S., Holland, M., Labrousse, S., LaRue, M., Wienecke, B., Fretwell, P., Barbraud, C., Greenwald, N. and Stroeve, J., 2021. The call of the emperor penguin: Legal responses to species threatened by climate change. Global change biology, 27(20), pp.5008-5029.
Cimino, M., Lynch, H., Saba, V. et al. Projected asymmetric response of Adélie penguins to Antarctic climate change. Sci Rep 6, 28785 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28785
Trathan, P. N., et al., 2020, The emperor penguin – Vulnerable to projected rates of warming and sea ice loss. Biol. Conserv., 241, 108216, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108216.
