Here's why an iceberg may have killed nearly 150,000 penguins
- 8 years ago
AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC TERRITORY — A city-sized iceberg that ran aground in 2010 may wipe out an entire colony of penguins in east Antarctica, research published in the journal Antarctic Science suggests.
A colony of Adelie penguins living in Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay — part of Australian-claimed Antarctic territory — previously lived near open water, where they could hunt and fish, the Guardian reported. That food resource was cut off when iceberg B09B, around 1,100 square miles in size, became lodged in the bay.
Because of this, the colony has to endure nearly 80-mile round trips in the harsh Antarctic weather to search for food, CNN reported. That perilous trek has reportedly taken its toll on the colony, with its population dwindling from 160,000 in 2011 to only 10,000 now.
Scientists expect the colony could be wiped out in two decades unless conditions change. "The Cape Denison population could be extirpated within 20 years unless B09B relocates or the now perennial fast ice within the bay breaks out," researchers said in the study.
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A colony of Adelie penguins living in Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay — part of Australian-claimed Antarctic territory — previously lived near open water, where they could hunt and fish, the Guardian reported. That food resource was cut off when iceberg B09B, around 1,100 square miles in size, became lodged in the bay.
Because of this, the colony has to endure nearly 80-mile round trips in the harsh Antarctic weather to search for food, CNN reported. That perilous trek has reportedly taken its toll on the colony, with its population dwindling from 160,000 in 2011 to only 10,000 now.
Scientists expect the colony could be wiped out in two decades unless conditions change. "The Cape Denison population could be extirpated within 20 years unless B09B relocates or the now perennial fast ice within the bay breaks out," researchers said in the study.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
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Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
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