How are emperor penguins studied?

Emperor penguins are hard to study, as they reside in extremely cold and remote, inaccessible parts of the continent. However, scientists have developed a means to trace emperor penguin population sizes using satellites and aerial photography.

And do you know what helps them identify the location of penguin colonies? The distinctive red-brown guano (poop) patches the birds leave on the ice! Penguin wastes stand out against the white snow and ice of the Antarctic. In the latest discovery, scientists used multiple, high-resolution images from above to study their guano stains and track the birds’ movements.

While the satellite images are a powerful tool for tracking penguin colonies, the researchers still have to go and verify their presence on the ground and to carry out large-scale explorations.

 

Picture Credit : Google