Several hundred of the world's tiniest penguins have been found washed up on shore, dead for unknown reasons. What caused their deaths?

 

Researchers have a hunch that the changing climate could be to blame.

 

Over the past few months, the bodies of more than five hundred of the world's tiniest penguins have been found washed up on beaches all over New Zealand. The lovely seabirds have been becoming extinct in such great numbers recently, and although the reasons for this are unknown, experts believe that climate change may have played a role in this tragedy.

 

According to The Guardian, since the beginning of May, groups of tiny dead penguins (Eudyptula minor), also known as Koror, have been washing up on beaches on the North Island of New Zealand. A group of 183 dead birds washed up last week on Ninety Mile Beach close to Kaitaia; another 109 penguins were found on that beach in early May. The number of dead birds was reported in clusters around the area. The number of dead penguins that washed up on Cable Bay near Nelson last week is unknown; however, there was a different group of perhaps one hundred. According to a story from The Guardian, the Department of Conservation (DOC) of New Zealand has disclosed that many other die-offs have been reported on beaches around the North Island. The number of bodies reported ranges from a handful to dozens.

 

It was not immediately apparent what caused the death of the penguins; nevertheless, specialists have highlighted that most of the seabirds that passed away were highly underweight. Some of the bodies of little penguins weighed less than half of what they should have for their size. Little penguins should weigh between 1.8 and 2.2 pounds (0.8 and 1 kilogram).

 

According to Graeme Taylor, a DOC seabird scientist, "There was just no body fat on them; there was barely any muscle to show." This information was provided to The Guardian. He said that when they get to that state of emaciation, they can't dive. He added that this eventually leads to them starving to death or passing away from cold since they lack a coat of fat to shield them.

 

Because the deceased penguins were malnourished, it can be deduced that they did not get enough of the fish, which is their preferred meal. This may be an indication that humans are fishing too much. However, Taylor has a sneaking suspicion that rising ocean surface temperatures brought on by climate change and a protracted cyclical occurrence known as La Nia has driven the fish into more profound, calmer waters, where the birds can no longer access them.

 

"This little species [of penguin] is capable of frequently diving down to 20 or 30 meters [66 to 98 feet], but it's not that excellent at diving a lot deeper than that," said Taylor. "It's not that good at diving a lot deeper than that." (Ironically, the name of the genus that comprises tiny penguins, Eudyptula, translates to "excellent little diver" in Latin.)

 

This explanation could explain why tiny penguins from New Zealand's South Island have not been damaged, as the waters there have remained much cooler near the surface than farther north. This is because the waters there have been much more protected from the effects of climate change.

 

On the list of endangered species maintained by New Zealand's government, tiny penguins are classified as "at-risk declining," which is a category that comes after "threatened" but before "extinction." According to BirdLife International, fewer than 500,000 breeding adults are found in their natural habitat. Dogs, cats, and other invading animals pose further dangers to the species because they prey upon the birds and devour them or their eggs. Conservationists brought the Tasmanian devil to the island of Tasmania in 2021, which resulted in the extinction of the entire little penguin population. The colony has had 3,000 breeding pairs of tiny penguins.

 

This is not the first time many tiny penguins have died in New Zealand. It is estimated that, on average, once every ten years, dozens or even hundreds of tiny penguins have perished due to difficulty feeding or severe storms. Nevertheless, according to Taylor, this is the third time in the past ten years that a die-off has occurred, which is cause for concern.

 

According to Taylor, "If you start seeing it often happen like this, then there is not much chance for the birds to recuperate between the episodes and restore the numbers."

 

Unfortunately, residents of New Zealand should prepare themselves to find a more significant number of dead penguins washing up on their shores.

 

According to Ian Armitage, a council member for the nonprofit organization Birds New Zealand, the ornithological society of New Zealand, who has helped document the penguin deaths, "This event is probably not over and will continue through the winter." This information was provided to The Guardian by Armitage. According to him, this indicates that people may find many more deceased penguins.

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/mass-little-penguin-die-off-new-zealand

Image source   : https://pixabay.com/id/vectors/dingin-rumah-pohon-musim-dingin-2915190/

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