Six Penguin Species to Be Added to Endangered Species List

by Amy Judd | December 18, 2008 at 11:55 am
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The Bush Administration has suggested that six species of penguins should be added to the the Engangered Species List, due to global warming in the Arctic and Antarctic.

There are nine species proposed under the act, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed that six of them are threatened with extinction and one is endangered.

The USFWS does not consider the Emperor Penguin to be threatened, as well as the Macaroni Penguin. It was determined at last year's International Penguin Conference that at least 12 of the 17 species of penguin are in serious trouble.

...

The service, a part of the Interior Department, proposed listing the African penguin as endangered because commercial fishing, oil pollution, declining prey and increasingly fierce predators. Five other species considered threatened are the yellow-eyed penguin, the white-flippered penguin, the Fiordland crested penguin, the erect-crested penguin, all from New Zealand, as well as the Humboldt penguin of Chile and Peru. In addition, the Southern Rockhopper penguin will be listed as threatened in part of its range in New Zealand.

"Threats to these penguin species include commercial fishing, competition for prey, habitat loss, disease, and predation," according to the USFWS.

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hollygordon_photographer

I went to Antarctic in December 1999 to be able to tell my yet to be born grandchildren where i was when 1999 turned to 2000. Penguins are my favorite critters and I went for them-to see them face to face. While I was there I became totally blown away by the purity and clarity of the air and the landscape...or should I say icescape....our last vestige of untouched earth...and it is melting and becoming polluted... A body of my images debut at the New york Hall of Science in January, 2006. Currently, some of my images are part of an Antarctica installation with the Patchogue Arts Council, Patchogue, Long Island. I am an environmentally sensitive nature and fine art photographer and continuously searched for penguins positioned for good image-taking. This chinstrap was a most photogenic creature and I captured it in many poses. This is an ecstatic display. While on this journey I photographed, Adelies, Gentoos, Macaronis, Kings, Rockhoppers and Magellenics and will be happy to share them all as well as my Antarctica images to help save our planet. I now have 4 grandchildren and just visited my (oldest, age 5) grandson's kindergarten class to read a story about penguins and do an art project. We've got to start teaching children to protect and respect nature while they are young. You can see more of my photography, writing, information on my two major exhibitions Antarctic: Journey to the Extreme and Galapagos: Face to Face on my website. It's worth the click! www.hollygordonphotographer.com

hollygordon_photographer has contributed a photo to this story.

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Nelsonkruger

These small penguins form a colony of about 2000 in Boulders Beach, South Africa. They have grown from a very small colony over about 20 years ago. All animals like this need protecting and its good to see the US catching up with the rest of the world and beginning to take Global Warming seriously.

Nelsonkruger has contributed a photo to this story.

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Tom Schonhoff


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anitagould

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the "Bush Administration has suggested that six species of penguins should be added to the the Engangered Species List, due to global warming in the Arctic and Antarctic," considering Bush's general level of ignorance.  However, penguins live only in the Antarctic.

I'm not really clear on why species not found in the US or US territories would be added to the US Endangered Species List -- maybe you can explain a little more?

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azzayindia

are the governments serious about global warming issue?

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SongofSonya

The Yellow-Eyed Penguin on the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand (November 2008)

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martintoy

The humboldt Pinguin

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Diti

Emperor penguin will be in real danger if nothing is made against global warming. A 2°C change in Antarctica is enough to reduce notabily the quantity of available krill, which will cause the population of Adélie and emperor penguins to decrease by more than 60%.

I want my future job to be penguin-related. But I don't want to tell my kid: “See? This is a photo of an emperor penguin I took before the species extincts”.

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nirmiller

African Penguins, at Boulder’s Beach, South-Africa

nirmiller has contributed a photo to this story.

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Pythiian1

There are some wonderful photos of penguins on the IceStories website under the National Science Foundation sponsorship.  

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Paschen

Hum, We keep on adding more species and we keep on loosing more as well and every years it gets some what worth yet we still refuse to change and see us as the main culprit.

 

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Wild Images

It sounds almost like they are adding the birds to some sort of score card. Considering the fact that the Bush Administration has been so reluctant to change legislation to reduce emmissions and bring themselves in line with the rest of the developed world, it seems a little late, but I suppose every bit counts. Penguins just happen to be the "flavour of the month" as far as television, film and documentary programming, as well as general public hype go, so it makes me a bit sceptical of their reasons for doing this.

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simonianson

African Penguin at Boulders Beach, Cape Town, South Africa. A colony of approximately 300 penguins which has grown from just two breeding pairs in 1982.

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slbovey

I took this picture whilst on honeymoon in New Zealand , near Duneden - this one was in the 'hospital' but there is a beach nearb looked after by a group where they are left alone to be wild - it's possible to see them through a series of part burried trenches.

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kaeryn

All sounds a little hypocritical to me - acknowledge concern by adding more species to the endangered list but don't sign up to the Kyoto agreement? Perhaps Obama's move apponting a Nobel Prize winner to investigate alternatives to fossil fuels is a turning point? We'll see.....

kaeryn has contributed a photo to this story.

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Loungerider

I am a jackass
African penguins (Jackass penguins) have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the pattern of spots being unique for every penguin, like human fingerprints. They have pink glands above their eyes. The hotter the penguin gets, the more blood is sent to these glands so it may be cooled by the surrounding air, thus making the glands more pink. The males are larger than the females and have larger beaks, but their beaks are more pointed than those of the Humboldt. Their distinctive black and white colouring is a vital form of camouflage - white for underwater predators looking upwards and black for predators looking down onto the dark water.

Loungerider has contributed a photo to this story.Loungerider

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markcuk

Taken in Dunedin's Banks Peninsula New Zealand.

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adnama dimension

Emperor Penguin: Amanda Smith

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mememine69

Poor stupid helpless mother nature. We must guide her through the dangers of human ..........aha I"m going to sick. I can' t do this.

Don't fear for nature, fear IT!

We don't have the power to affect the climate. We cannot steer a hurricane; we can't stop one; we can't dissipate one; we can't create one. We can't steer a tornado; we can't stop snowstorms; we can't stop ice; we can't stop or start anything like that, nothing of major catastrophic consequence. It's absurd.

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mememine69

Kyoto is a solution looking for a problem.

We don't have the power to affect the climate. We cannot steer a hurricane; we can't stop one; we can't dissipate one; we can't create one. We can't steer a tornado; we can't stop snowstorms; we can't stop ice; we can't stop or start anything like that, nothing of major catastrophic consequence. It's absurd.

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LiamKind

I'm happy for the photo to be used but please remove any reference from FlickR regarding where it was taken. Thanks. Liam

LiamKind has contributed a photo to this story.

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nicholasconnolly

These are yellow eyed penguins from the otago peninsula south island new zealand

nicholasconnolly has contributed a photo to this story.

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arvindspictures

Picture taken on a cruise in the beagle channel south of Argentina. A Emporer Penguins show up here every year even though they are normally found in Antartica.

arvindspictures has contributed a photo to this story.

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