Penguins Wear a Shield of Cold Air in Winter

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Emperor penguins “wear” an invisible shield of cold air that helps to prevent body heat loss, allowing the flightless birds to survive the sub-zero temps of Antarctica, a new study finds.

The report, published in the journal Biology Letters, demonstrates just how hardy the birds are.

“In most birds, plumage is able to resist the flow of heat, such that surface temperature is normally a few degrees above ambient temperature,” wrote Dominic McCafferty of the University of Glasgow and his colleagues. For emperor penguins, however, “During clear sky conditions, most outer surfaces of the body were colder than surrounding sub-zero air … In these conditions, the feather surface will paradoxically gain heat by convection from surrounding air.”

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/27677-penguins-wear-a-shield-of-cold-air-in-winter.html

Humans Visit Huge Penguin Colony for First Time

The existence of a 9,000-strong colony of emperor penguins in East Antarctica has been confirmed by three people who visited it for the first time.
Signs of the penguins were spotted by satellite, which took images of large stains on the snow in 2009 that scientists suspected were penguin feces. But it wasn't until early December 2012 that three people from Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctica polar research station visited the colony to glimpse the penguins for themselves, according to a statement from the International Polar Foundation, which runs the station.

The first three visitors were the station's expedition leader Alain Hubert, mechanic Kristof Soete and Swiss mountain guide Raphael Richard.

Continued: http://www.livescience.com/26068-humans-visit-penguin-colony.html

Antarctic sea ice loss could lead to loss of 80% Emperor penguins

Emperor penguins threatened by Antarctic sea ice loss

June 2012. A decline in the population of emperor penguins appears likely this century as climate change reduces the extent of Antarctic sea ice, according to a detailed projection.

The study, led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), with co-authors from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and other organizations, focuses on a much-observed colony of emperor penguins in Terre Adélie, Antarctica. The authors conclude that the number of breeding pairs may fall by about 80 percent by 2100.

"The projected decreases in sea ice may fundamentally alter the Antarctic environment in ways that threaten this population of penguins," says NCAR scientist Marika Holland, a co-author of the study.
The study uses a set of sophisticated computer simulations of climate as well as a statistical model of penguin demographics. Building on previous work, it examines how the sea ice may vary at key times during the year such as during egg laying, incubation, rearing chicks, and non- breeding season, as well as the potential influence of sea ice concentrations on males and females.

50 years of observations
The authors stress that their projections contain large uncertainties, because of the difficulties in projecting both climate change and the response of penguins. However, almost all of their computer simulations pointed to a significant decline in the colony at Terre Adélie, a coastal region of Antarctica where French scientists have conducted penguin observations for more than 50 years.

"Our best projections show roughly 500 to 600 breeding pairs remaining by the year 2100," says lead author Stephanie Jenouvrier, a WHOI biologist. "Today, the population size is around 3,000 breeding pairs."

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/antarctic-emperor.html

Emperor Penguin Numbers Double Previous Estimates, Satellites Show

Emperor penguins in Antarctica are far more plentiful than previously thought, a study that used extremely high-resolution imagery snapped by satellites has revealed.

"It surprised us that we approximately doubled the population estimate," said Peter Fretwell, a scientist with the British Antarctic Survey and lead author of a paper published today in the journal PLoS One.

Fretwell said that in contrast to previous estimates, which put emperor penguin numbers somewhere between 270,000 and 350,000 birds, the new research counted 595,000 birds.

Antarctic research is challenging, since humans can essentially only work on the frigid continent for three months out of the year, and nailing down hard numbers for the iconic birds has proved difficult.

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/19677-emperor-penguin-numbers-double-previous-estimates-satellites-show.html

How penguins 'time' a deep dive

Emperor penguins "time" their dives by the number of flaps they can manage with their wings.

This is according to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

It aimed to show how the birds reached the "decision" that it was time to stop feeding and return to the surface to breathe.

Tracking the birds revealed that they flapped their wings, on average, 237 times on each dive.

The study was led by Dr Kozue Shiomi, from the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Dr Shiomi and his team think that the penguins' decision to end their foraging dive and return to the surface is constrained by how much power their muscles can produce after every pre-dive breath. This "flying" motion propels the birds forwards, allowing them to swim quickly through the water, gulping fish.

Using data collected from diving penguins on previous field trips, the team analysed the patterns of more than 15,000 penguin dives.

They studied 10 free-ranging birds and three birds that were foraging through a hole in the ice.

Read more here ...

Wayward penguin Happy Feet released

The wayward emperor penguin known as Happy Feet is back home in Antarctic waters after an extended sojourn spent capturing hearts in New Zealand.

Happy Feet was released into the ocean south of New Zealand on Sunday, more than two months after he came ashore on a beach nearly 2,000 miles from home and became an instant celebrity.

Speaking from a satellite phone aboard the research vessel Tangaroa, Wellington Zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla said Happy Feet's release went remarkably smoothly given that the boat was being tossed about in 25ft swells in the unforgiving Antarctic Ocean.

Ms Argilla said crew members from the boat carried the penguin inside his custom-built crate to the stern of the ship for his final send-off. The crew had already cut the engines and put in place a canvas slide that they soaked with water from a hose.

But when they opened the door of the crate, the penguin showed no interest in leaving. "I needed to give him a little a tap on his back," Ms Argilla said. The penguin slipped down the slide on his stomach, bottom first, she said. He resurfaced about 6ft from the boat, took a look up at the people aboard and then disappeared beneath the surface.

"I was really happy to see him go," Ms Argilla said. "The best part of my job is when you get to release animals back into the wild where they are supposed to be."

The 3ft-tall aquatic bird was found on June 20 on Peka Peka Beach, about 40 miles north-west of New Zealand's capital, Wellington. It had been 44 years since an emperor penguin was last spotted in the wild in New Zealand.

At first, conservation authorities said they would wait and let nature take its course with the penguin. But it soon became clear the bird's condition was deteriorating, as he scooped up beaks full of sand and swallowed, probably mistaking it for snow, which emperor penguins eat for its moisture when in Antarctica.

With the world watching, authorities finally took action, moving the penguin to Wellington Zoo four days after he was discovered. At the zoo, the three-year-old bird underwent numerous stomach flushing procedures to remove sand from his digestive system. He was given a makeshift home in a room that zoo staff kept filled with a bed of ice so he would not overheat.

A local television station, TV3, set up a webcam and streamed images of the bird round the clock. Soon, Happy Feet had a quarter of a million followers. And, perhaps befitting of a bird from the internet age, those followers will be able to keep track of him for a while longer. Happy Feet has been fitted with a GPS tracker and his movements will be posted online. Ms Argilla expects the tracker to fall off the next time the bird malts.