According to a Guardian report, researchers recently used satellite photographs to find a new colony of emperor penguins in one of Antarctica’s most remote areas. There are 66 known emperor penguin colonies, half of which have been found by satellites, and the colony near Antarctica’s coast is thought to be home to roughly 500 birds.
The study’s principal investigator, Dr. Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey, said: ‘This finding is fascinating. However, this colony is modest and located in an area that has been severely impacted by recent sea ice loss, similar to many of the previously found sites.’
Emperor penguins are special because they are the only ones that breed on sea ice, rather than land. They are located in regions that are very difficult to spot and study as they are remote, inaccessible and can withstand temperatures as low as 60ºC.
According to the British Antarctica Survey (BAS), for the past 15 years, scientists have been looking for new colonies using satellite imagery for brown ‘guano stains’ (penguin poo) on the ice.
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