Warming threatens Antarctic king penguins - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Warming threatens Antarctic king penguins
Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:15pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - King penguins that feed on fish
and squid at the northern edges of Antarctica are threatened
by global warming, which is cutting down on their food supply,
researchers reported on Monday.

King penguins, the second-largest species after emperor
penguins, are at the top of the food chain in their sub-
Antarctic environment, thriving on small fish and squid rather
than the tiny krill and other crustaceans that sea mammals
favor.

This makes king penguins good indicators of changes in their
ecosystem, scientists said in research published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

-snip-

The researchers found that high sea surface temperatures in
the area where the king penguins spent the winters cut the
amount of available marine prey, which in turn cut the
survival rate of adult king penguins.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1155513120080211