The 4 newly discovered colonies seemingly existed for a few years, however scientists hadn’t beforehand noticed them, stated Fretwell. They’re largely small colonies, with lower than 1,000 breeding pairs every, he stated. Scientists presently know of 66 emperor penguin colonies.
The newly noticed colonies do not enormously change total inhabitants estimates – presently lower than round 300,000 breeding pairs – however they assist scientists perceive the place penguins may be shifting, stated Fretwell.
It is unclear if any of the newly recognized colonies might be breakaway teams from different bigger colonies, stated Daniel Zitterbart, a penguin researcher on the Woods Gap Oceanographic Establishment, who was not concerned within the examine.
But it surely’s clear the breeding websites are in flux and a warming world means extra “penguins will probably be on the transfer”, he stated.
