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Prospect Point, Antarctica, Jan. 11, 2007 - A Gentoo penguin mother tends to her offspring. Typically the fathers will fish through out the day, while the mothers protect the young. The fathers regurgitate the catch to the mothers, who then do the same for thier young. Antarctica is home to five of the world's 17 different species of penguins. Though climate reports suggest that the continent is not warming substantially as a result of global warming, the ocean around it is. In fact the...
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Prospect Point, Antarctica, Jan. 11, 2007 - A Gentoo penguin mother tends to her offspring. Typically the fathers will fish through out the day, while the mothers protect the young. The fathers regurgitate the catch to the mothers, who then do the same for thier young. Antarctica is home to five of the world's 17 different species of penguins. Though climate reports suggest that the continent is not warming substantially as a result of global warming, the ocean around it is. In fact the temperature of the Southern Ocean has risen 11 degrees since the 1950's. This has caused a problem for the cold water species of penguin, such as the Emperor and Adelie. They have had to move further south to survive, while warmer climate species, such as Gentoo and Chinstrap have expanded their sizes. While this would seem good news for the Gentoo and Chinstrap, the warming of the waters has caused larger melting of icebergs than previously expected. The flow of fresh water with the salt water under the icebergs are the breeding ground for krill, the primary food for penguins. The increased number of the colonies along with the decrease in food has caused major problems for all of the species.
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