Antarctic penguins are dying at an alarming rate due to climate warming
Emperor penguin chicks living in Antarctica are dying at an alarming rate. At the end of 2022, 10,000 Emperor penguin chicks died in the Belling-Shausen Sea west of the Antarctic continent.
Scientists blame the melting of ice due to climate warming, which threatens the life cycle of penguins. Experts warn that if this trend continues, more than 90 percent of Emperor penguins will be extinct by the end of the current century.
The continent of Antarctica is home to the Emperor Penguin, the largest of the penguin species. Emperor penguin chicks have been dying in Antarctica in recent years.
In late 2022, 10,000 penguin chicks died in the Belling-Shausen Sea west of the continent. Scientists have blamed climate warming for this.
The report also said that since 2016, the ice in Antarctica has been melting at an alarming rate. Between 2018 and 2022, more than one-third of the chicks in more than 60 Emperor penguin colonies were affected somehow.
Basically, adult emperor penguins enter the ocean in March and June. Meanwhile, they lay eggs and hatch from them. These chicks feed on food until they grow waterproof feathers. In the following season, these young penguins take part in breeding.
However, this life cycle of penguins is under threat due to the melting of Antarctic ice due to global warming. Satellite records show that Antarctic ice is melting before baby penguins can develop waterproof feathers.
As a result, penguin chicks are dying prematurely by drowning or freezing in ice water. The scientists published these data in the ‘Communications Earth and Environment Journal’ after observing five penguin colonies in the Belling-Shausen Sea sector.
Meanwhile, the ‘International Union for Conservation of Nature’ has included the Emperor penguin in the list of the most endangered animals in the world.
But if climate warming continues, experts warn that more than 90 percent of Emperor penguins could be extinct by the end of the current century.
