Standing on Brink of Extinction, King Penguins Face New Foe on Existence With Climate Change

King penguins, which were previously almost hunted to extinction, now face a new danger: climate change. These birds tend to live in the ocean, but during the breeding season in December, a significant portion of the global population migrates to Possession Island, located in the Crozet archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. The island is situated roughly between the southeastern tip of Africa and Antarctica.

Robin Cristofari, a penguin specialist at the University of Turku in Finland, has observed a large group of penguins on Possession Island. Cristofari notes that the species was close to extinction due to being hunted by seal hunters from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. When the hunters ran out of seals to kill, they burned the penguins to melt seal blubber in cauldrons.

Cristofari also mentions that the hunters made penguin oil for a brief period, but it was not of good quality. The population of king penguins recovered in the latter half of the 20th century, but their numbers have remained stable for about 20 years. Cristofari points out that now, in addition to the danger of hunting, the species is also facing the threat of climate change. He was the lead author of a study published in 2018 which predicted that global warming could cause the extinction of 70% of the world's king penguins by the end of the century.

Climate Change: Penguins' Foe

King penguins are about a meter tall and have black and white feathers with bright orange markings on their necks and beaks. These penguins only come ashore to breed and are very selective about where they go. They require a dry location with no winter sea ice, a beach with a smooth surface of sand or pebbles, and an ample supply of food that is easily accessible.

This means suitable breeding locations must be near the Antarctic Polar Front, where cold southern waters meet warmer northern currents. This area is rich in marine life, such as fish and squid, providing an abundance of food for the penguins. Typically, the polar front is 350 kilometers south of the Crozet archipelago in January. However, during hot years, the polar front can move as far as 750 kilometers away. This distance is too great for the penguins to travel to find food, return to their chicks, and mate promptly.

Cristofari explains that the success of the penguins' reproduction is closely tied to the distance from the polar front. However, as the polar front shifts southward due to climate change caused by human activity, the Crozet Islands may eventually become uninhabitable for king penguins. This would leave the birds with very few options for breeding locations, many of which are unable to support large colonies. Cristofari notes that while the species is not in immediate danger of extinction, their way of life could be significantly affected, following a report from Phys.

King Penguins' Nature

As reported by National Geographic, king penguins have a lifespan of around 25 years and typically have their first chicks when they are around 6 or 7 years old. Out of over a million breeding pairs worldwide, about half breed on the Crozet Islands. These penguins usually arrive in early November and choose a mate with whom they will remain monogamous for one year.

During the 50-day incubation period and the first month after the chick hatches, the parents share the responsibility of caring for it. Cristofari describes the penguins as playful and curious and notes that they waddle carefully into the large nesting colonies on the islands with their eggs tucked between their feet. Once they find a spot among the other penguins, the mates use their bellies to keep the egg warm.

While one parent stays with the egg or chick, the other goes to the sea to find food. The parent on land can go up to a month without eating. The chicks are well-fed until May when they fast during the winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The parents occasionally return to feed their offspring until spring. Cristofari explains that the timing of this cycle is designed to allow the chick to begin feeding on its own, ideally during the height of summer. A full year after hatching, the penguins enter the water for the first time to catch their food.

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