Over the last couple of months, hundreds of the world's smallest penguins have washed up on New Zealand beaches. Climate change may have played a part in the deaths of so many adorable seabirds.
According to The Guardian, dead penguins have been washing up on beaches in the country's North Island since May. A group of 183 dead birds that washed up on Ninety Mile Beach near Kaitaia were the largest cluster. A group of around 100 dead penguins washed up on Cable Bay near Nelson last week. Multiple other die-offs have been reported in New Zealand, ranging from a couple to dozens of bodies, according to The Guardian.
It wasn't immediately clear what killed the penguins, but experts noted that most of the dead seabirds were very thin. Some of the little penguins weighed less than half of what they should.
A DOC seabird scientist told The Guardian that there was no fat on them. He said that when they get to the stage of emaciation, they can't dive because they don't have a protective layer of blubber.
Dozens of penguins died after being stung in the eyes by honeybees.
The malnourishment of the dead penguins shows that they have not been eating enough fish, which may be a sign that humans are overfished. Taylor believes that rising ocean surface temperatures caused by climate change and La Nia have forced the fish into deeper, cooler waters where the birds can't reach them.
The penguin can dive down to 30 metres, but it's not good at diving a lot deeper than that. "Good little diver" is the meaning of the little penguins' name, Eudyptula.
Little penguins from New Zealand's South Island have not been affected by the cooler waters farther north.
Little penguins are listed as being at-risk declining by the New Zealand government. There are less than half a million breeding adults in the wild. Dogs, cats, and other non-native animals are threats to the species. The entire little penguin population of 3000 breeding pairs was wiped out by the introduction of the devils.
Little penguins have died in large numbers before. About once every decade, penguins die off due to either feeding difficulties or extreme storms. This is the third time in the last 10 years that a die-off has occurred.
Taylor said that there's not much chance for the birds to recover between the events.
New Zealand can expect to see more dead penguins on their shoreline.
Ian Armitage, a council member for the nonprofit Birds New Zealand, the ornithological society of New Zealand, told The Guardian that the event is likely to continue through the winter. Many more penguins are likely to be found dead.
It was originally published on Live Science
All Rights Reserved © 2024
