2019 Heatwave Decimated Magellanic Penguin Population

The devastating outcomes of climate exchange-triggered heatwaves are highlighted by the mass die-off of Magellanic Penguins in 2019.

Researchers on the College of Washington seen judicious one of the largest breeding colonies endure the devastating consequences of a 2019 heatwave in Argentina.

On January 19th, 2019, temperatures peaked at 44C/111.2F in Punta Tombo, on Argentina’s southern walk. This ended in the catastrophic lack of 354 penguins, with most (264) being adults who it looks died from dehydration, as confirmed in put up mortems performed on the birds.

Sadly, loads of the ineffective birds hold been found ineffective in “heat relief” postures en route from the breeding colony to the ocean, where they’ll want gotten a drink and cooled off.

Per College of Washington doctoral student Katie Holt:

“This low occasion fell strategy the tail pause of the breeding season for Magellanic penguins, so it killed a huge series of adults, as effectively as chicks. It’s the key time we’ve recorded a mass mortality occasion at Punta Tombo connected to low temperatures.”

Holt added:

“Any mass die-off admire here is a discipline. But what’s most concerning about heat-death mortality is that it has the aptitude to waste a form of adults. The population viability of long-lived seabirds — admire Magellanic penguins — relies on long lifespans. Adult Magellanic penguins can are residing greater than 30 years, so they most incessantly hold many opportunities to efficiently develop chicks. If we’re losing big numbers of adults from a single occasion admire this, that’s a basic discipline.”