In December, two brave men trekked up to Antarctica’s Princess Ragnhild Coast to see if a colony of penguins lived there. Luckily, their trip was not in vain!
Kristof Soete and Raphael Richard decided to see if they could be the first humans to see this supposed colony which was suspected to exist. They found the colony, but were shocked at just how huge it was!
The men found over 9,000 emperor penguins hanging out, three fourths of which were chicks! This discovery is crucial because it will help give researchers a better idea of how many penguins actually exist in the world.
It is currently estimated that there are between 200,000 and 400,000 penguins, but it has been impossible to get an exact number because many penguin colonies are located in very inaccessible areas and also because penguins tend to blend into the snow and are difficult to spot even via satellite.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Despite what we see in TV and movies, no penguins exist in the North Pole.
- The black and white colouring of penguins is to help them camouflage while swimming. The black is difficult to see from above and the white looks like the sun’s reflection.
- There are 17 species of penguins and the Emperor Penguin is the largest of them all.
- Satellite can detect when there is a large group of penguins living somewhere because their dung stains the ice with a light brown colour.
- Penguins are the only animal who can stand living in the cold Antarctic weather all year.