Satellite mapping finds new colony of Emperor penguins
The Hindu
Recent projections suggest that under current warming trends, 80% of colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of the century.
Satellite mapping technology has discovered another new colony of the highly threatened Emperor penguins in Antarctica, researchers revealed Friday.
The find, announced by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) to mark Penguin Awareness Day, brings the total number of known emperor penguin breeding sites around Antarctica's coastline to 66.
It is the latest in a series of Emperor penguin breeding sites detected using the satellite technology.
The birds, which are endemic to Antarctica and the biggest of the 18 penguin species at around 1.2 metres (nearly four feet) tall, face almost complete annihilation due to climate change and the loss of sea ice.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service last year placed Emperor penguins, which need sea ice to breed, on its endangered species list, calling the move "an alarm bell" and "call to action".
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Recent projections suggest that under current warming trends, 80% of colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of the century.