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An 'Enormous Crash' at World's Largest Penguin Colony
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- The chinstrap penguin population on Zavodovski Island has plummeted by 63% from 1.09 million in 2011 to 402,000 in 2025, marking a significant population crash according to the British Antarctic Survey.
- Researchers attribute the decline to climate-driven changes in the Southern Ocean food web, which have pushed krill, the chinstraps' primary food source, into colder waters unsuitable for the penguins.
- In contrast, macaroni penguins on the island, which have a more varied diet, have increased from about 338,000 to 433,000, now becoming the dominant species there.
- Scientists recommend the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassify chinstrap penguins from "least concern" to "endangered" due to the sharp population decline.
- Meanwhile, Adelie penguins at Cape Adare have grown to form the world's largest penguin colony, surpassing the former record held by Zavodovski Island's chinstraps.
