Hundreds of baby emperor penguins have miraculously survived after a breakaway iceberg caused thousands of chicks to be cut off from their mothers. An Antarctic ice shelf as big as the Isle of Wight fractured to form a new iceberg 4 months ago, separating the newborn penguins from their mothers, who were off hunting for fish at the time. Scientists first believed that the chicks met an unfortunate end, but satellite images have confirmed that many of them have pulled through. Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey said they were puzzled as to how the birds managed to survive, especially because they appear to be reasonably healthy. Having endured the close call, the surviving emperor penguin chicks now need to cling on to the remaining sea ice until December when they will be strong enough to swim away.
Baby Penguins Stranded On Iceberg Survive Without Their Mothers
Hundreds of baby emperor penguins have miraculously survived after a breakaway iceberg caused thousands of chicks to be cut off from their mothers. An Antarctic ice shelf as big as the Isle of Wight fractured to form a new iceberg 4 months ago, separating the newborn penguins from their mothers, who were off hunting for fish at the time. Scientists first believed that the chicks met an unfortunate end, but satellite images have confirmed that many of them have pulled through. Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey said they were puzzled as to how the birds managed to survive, especially because they appear to be reasonably healthy. Having endured the close call, the surviving emperor penguin chicks now need to cling on to the remaining sea ice until December when they will be strong enough to swim away.