USF scientist leads Antarctic expedition

USF scientist leads Antarctic expedition to study effects of climate change on animals

By Andy Boyle, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, March 15, 2010


ST. PETERSBURG
Dozens of scientists are traveling 6,500 miles, traversing one of the world's most dangerous stretches of water, bound for one of the most remote locations on the planet.
They're looking for a killer.
The silverfish, a vital part of the food chain in Antarctica, is disappearing at an alarming rate.
"It's a mystery," says Joseph Torres, a marine biologist at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. Torres and colleagues, who already have begun the journey to Antarctica, have a suspect:
Global warming.
• • •
It's nearly 10 inches long but don't be fooled by its size. This is one tough fish.
It has a sort of biological antifreeze in its blood that allows it to swim in near-freezing Antarctic waters. In fact, it can live for two decades or more. The silverfish doesn't even start swimming until it is 2, and begins reproducing at age 9.
"The fish is kind of fascinating," Torres said. "It's a really important animal."
Important, among other reasons, for its role in the food chain.
Because of their moderate size, silverfish are a staple for the Adélie penguin, comprising as much 50 percent of their diet.
Or at least they did.
Research shows that around the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula the percentage has dropped from 50 percent to virtually zero. The penguins have turned to other food sources such as krill. The results have been disastrous.
Since the 1970s, roughly 70 percent of the penguin population around the peninsula has died off, says ecologist and researcher William Fraser, who has studied the penguins for more than three decades.
So, where have all the silverfish gone?
That's the substance of Torres' mission.
Silverfish researchers think the small fish hatch and grow under sea ice, which provides protection from predators.
But mid-winter air temperatures along the Antarctic Peninsula have risen 10 degrees in the past 25 years, even as other parts of Antarctica are cooling, say Torres and numerous other scientific groups, including NASA.
"This is the fastest warming region on the planet," he said.
Hence, ice is forming later and melting earlier, which may make the fish vulnerable to predators.
"The fish are preyed upon to the extent they are no longer there," Torres said.
Torres said rising temperature may be a factor. But he readily acknowledges he's no climatologist. And he has no stake in the global warming debate.
He's concerned about the fish.
• • •
The 45-foot waves will also get his attention.
This journey, Torres' 11th to Antarctica, will be funded by a $250,000 National Science Foundation grant and several other related grants.
After arriving in Punta Arenas, a major port on the southern tip of Chile, the researchers will sail to Palmer Station in Antarctica.
Aboard the 308-foot Nathaniel B. Palmer research ship, they will cross the Drake Passage, often described as the world's most treacherous stretch of ocean, sometimes producing waves of more than 40 feet.
Their research will begin at the southern portion of the Antarctic Peninsula. They will travel north, keeping one step ahead of the advancing ice.
Catching fish along the way, they will send them to other scientists who, by studying the earbone, will determine where fish spawn.
That's right, the earbone. A team of scientists have discovered they can identify the birthplace of the fish by examining the chemistry of its earbone.
The team also will visit penguin rookeries to learn more about the birds' diet. The scientists induce vomiting – "a heck of a lot better than what they used to do, which was just shoot them," Torres said – to learn what they're eating.
The group plans to return home in early May.
"Every trip there you get to see a really cool place with some really cool critters," he said.
Andy Boyle can be reached at (727) 893-8087 or aboyle@sptimes.com

Dispatches from Antarctica
This story will continue in Antarctica, with Joseph Torres writing dispatches and two of his research assistants shooting video and photos.
Mutlimedia presentation
See the awe-inspiring landscapes and wildlife of the Antarctic as you follow the team's voyage at tampabay.com/antarctica.

Antarctic food chain
The Antarctic silverfish is pink with a silver tint.
This hardy fish can live for two decades or more. It produces glycopeptides — a kind of biological antifreeze — that protect it from the area's near-freezing waters.
The silverfish is a key player in the local food chain, a staple for the Adélie penguins, below.
But the silverfish are rapidly disappearing and over the years, roughly 70 percent of the penguin population around the Antarctic Peninsula has died off, say those who study the Adélie.
So, where have all the silverfish gone? Is global warming to blame?
Finding answers to those questions is the mission of a team of scientists led by USF marine biologist Joseph Torres.

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Party with the penguins at Melbourne Aquarium

 

MELBOURNE Aquarium is having a Penguin Party, and here’s your chance to join the fun.

Superstar mates Skipper and Private, from the Madagascar movies, will team up to lead a super-cool Penguin Party at the city attraction during the school holidays.

Melbourne Aquarium’s king and gentoo penguins will watch on as Skipper and Private make special appearances from 12pm to 3pm every day of the school holidays.

With penguin games and activities on and off the ice, as well as talks, presentations and party games, the aquarium’s Antarctica exhibit will be transformed into an exciting world of colour and fun.

And here’s your chance to join the fun.

We have 20 Penguin Party prize packs to give away, each valued at $120. Each pack includes a family pass to the Melbourne Aquarium, a penguin key ring, plush toy and enviro bag.

To be in the draw, you need to be a member of the site and logged in. If you’re logged in, you will see the competition form below. If not, log in using the blue “log in” link at the top right of this screen, or log in here.
If you aren’t yet a member, go to our registration page and scroll down to the Registration section.
Registering will allow you to enter our competitions in the future, as well as add your news and community events.

Our online team will attempt to approve new members as quickly as possible. New member registrations will only be approved during business hours on weekdays.

The competition is open until 5pm on Wednesday, March 24.

The winners will be drawn at Leader’s Blackburn office on Thursday, March 25, and notified by mail.


One entry allowed per member. To enter, write your name, postal address and phone number in the “Answer” section, then type in the verification code and press “Submit”.

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Gentoos at Planet Aquarium

Gentoo Penguins Migrate to Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, UT

Sat, 3/13/2010 - 6:59 AM
By Angie Hyde
Sandy, UT - It’s an exciting day at The Living Planet Aquarium! Staff, volunteers, sponsors, donors and board members had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the penguins that will be residing in the new penguin exhibit which is scheduled to open to the public Friday, March 26.

At 7:00am (Central Time), 11 Gentoo penguins were placed into their travel crates and taken from the South Atlantic Exhibit at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas to Houston International Airport where they boarded safely onto the Continental Airlines flight to Salt Lake City. At 12:15pm the plane landed in the Beehive State where the penguins were carefully unloaded and awaited the transfer to their new home in Sandy.

They successfully arrived at the aquarium early that afternoon, where each penguin had a brief physical examination from the veterinarian before bringing them into their new home. All of the penguins were frolicking, vocalizing and swimming in their new habitat by 2:30pm.

For the next two weeks, the birds (which were born and raised at Moody Gardens) will be carefully monitored while they adjust to their new home. Training of the penguins to enhance their daily management and care will begin after they have acclimated to their new environment.

Aquarium admission is $9 adult; $8 senior (65+), military and student (full-time college, with I.D.); and $7 children 3-17. Children under 3 are admitted free of charge. Annual memberships are available. The aquarium is located on 725 E 10600 S in Sandy. More information about The Living Planet Aquarium is available online at www.thelivingplanet.com; or by calling (801) 355-FISH (3474).

The Living Planet Aquarium is dedicated to celebrating life on Earth by fostering a greater awareness and knowledge of Earth’s diverse ecosystems and creating a deeper understanding of our place in the global system of life.

To view The Living Planet Aquarium's  web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-128-Living_Planet_Aquarium

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March 13, 2010

All-Black Penguin Is One-in-a-Zillion

Mutated Bird Spotted During National Geographic Journey to Antarctica

(CBS)  How big is a zillion? It's "an extremely large, indeterminate number," according to Dictionary.com.

And how rare is an all-black penguin, rather than the black-and-white tuxedo-like colorings on most of the adorable, big, wabbly birds?

It's a one-in-a-zillion mutation, scientists say.

On a recent trip for National Geographic Traveler magazine to the continent that is the world's southern tip -- Antarctica -- Contributing Editor Andrew Evans spotted one and got pictures and video of it.

He was doing a story on getting there from Washington, D.C. mostly by bus.

Evans saw the penguin on the island of South Georgia, just off Antarctica, during the trip's last leg - a boat ride from Venezuela.

Group members disembarked on South Georgia when they saw the penguin.

The birds have no natural fear of humans, so Evans sat on the ground in front of the penguin when he captured it on camera. Other naturalists on the ship said the bird had been spotted on other trips, which means it's been around awhile.

From what Evans could see, the black penguin assimilated well with the others, and even appeared to have a black-and-white mate.

There are some partially-black penguins, about one in every quarter million, scientists say. But this is the only one known to exist that is all black.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

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Penguin couple pose for photograph

A pair of penguins appear to have posed for their picture to be taken by photographer Adam Foster.

 
 Photographer Adam Foster, 23, was visiting Chester Zoo when he noticed the birds and they appeared to pose Photo: ADAM FOSTER / CATERS NEWS 
 

Mr Foster, 23, a web developer from Manchester, was visiting Chester Zoo last month when he noticed the birds and decided to take some pictures. Photo: ADAM FOSTER/CATERS

The Humboldt penguins - which often mate for life - caught the eye of Adam as they stood lovingly grooming one another.
As he approached to photograph the male and female bird almost appeared to know what was coming.
In this sequence the penguins appeared to adjusted one another's feathers before lining up to show Adam their best side.
Mr Foster, 23, a web developer from Manchester, was visiting Chester Zoo last month when he noticed the birds and decided to take some pictures.
He said what happened next was uncanny.
He said: "When I looked back at the pictures it was hilarious, it looked just like a human couple adjusting themselves for a photograph.
"It was very cold and late in the day and the zoo was all but empty as I approached the Humboldt penguin enclosure.
"I was drawn to a male and female who appeared to be very intimate; they were really close together and looked to be petting or cleaning each other.
"As I got closer to them I stopped to compose a shot and they were busy fidgeting and preening one another.
"Then just like that they both turned to look straight at me, it was like they were getting ready for me to take their best picture just like a couple.
"It pretty much made my day and I later found out that most Humboldt penguin pairs remain faithful to each other for years.
"They rarely choose new partners unless one of them dies, and they often return to the same site to breed year after year.
"I like to think these two are lifelong lovers maybe we could learn a lot about relationships from these feathery, faithful birds."
"They seemed perfectly in tune with one another."

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Emperors at Risk!

Shifting ice a problem for Antarctica penguins

David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor

Friday, March 12, 2010

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British Antarctic Survey / AP

Emperor penguins and chicks in Antarctica are the most severely threatened by impending climate changes, the report says. The birds need solid sea ice to lay eggs and raise chicks on.

View Larger Image

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Shifting sea ice around Antarctica is already disrupting penguin colonies as the world's climate warms, according to a new report by a team of polar scientists.
The researchers looked at the complex relationship between emperor and Adelie penguins and their changing habitats and studied how a projected temperature increase in coming decades of 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 Fahrenheit, might affect the way the animals build nests, find food and raise their young.
Emperor penguins - the largest of all the awkward birds that thrive only in cold climates - are the most severely threatened by oncoming changes, the report says. The birds live, lay eggs and raise chicks on solid sea ice, but when that "fast ice" thins and breaks up as temperatures rise, their habitat shrinks, the report notes.
But the slightly smaller and more agile Adelie penguins are also being forced to shift their nesting grounds when increased snowfalls cover the rocky terrain where they build their nests and have raised their young for millennia, the researchers say.
At the very least, the report states, the penguins' range stands to be compacted, "increasing susceptibility to the effects of warming."
The study was led by David Ainley, a penguin specialist with a Los Gatos ecological consulting firm who spent 10 months on the snowbound continent. The research was supported primarily by the National Science Foundation and published by the Ecological Society of America.

Faster warming expected

The Intergovernmental Panel in Climate Change has forecast that, by the end of this century, the world's climate will have warmed by 2 degrees Celsius. But Ainley and his colleagues calculate that the 2-degree "benchmark" will be reached between 15 and 42 years from now.
The winds of the "polar jet stream" that sweep around the continent, Ainley said in an interview, have become stronger and are causing greater upwelling of ocean currents in many areas along the coast. That means large areas of thick ice are becoming thinner, while areas of open water - known as "polynyas" - are growing larger.
Those polynyas are critical to the lives of the penguins because, the report says, "they reduce the commuting time and energy expenditure between colony and food supply" - namely, fish. But the report adds, "the factors that bring increased polynyas also bring decreased sea ice thickness, a direct problem for emperor penguins."
The most deadly effect of the changes was already visible 30 years ago among emperor penguins on Adelie Land, along Antarctica's east coast, where the 2005 Academy Award-winning documentary "The March of the Penguins" was filmed, Ainley said.
Winds there, at Pointe Géologie, swept the solid ice where female penguins laid their eggs and the male emperors kept the eggs warm and reared the chicks. Under those fierce winds, the thinned and unstable ice broke off. Though the males could swim, the chicks drowned. Within a decade, the emperor colony's population dropped from 6,000 pairs to 3,000, Ainley said.

Another decline forecast

In his group's report, the scientists foresee another significant population decline among emperor Penguins at Pointe Géologie in the next few decades.
"There's been a transformation in the last couple of decades, particularly on the other side of the continent along the Antarctic peninsula where the disappearance of sea ice has been dramatic," Ainley said.
The report warns that increased snowfall caused by warming temperatures "causes problems, as Adelie penguins cannot find nesting stones or snow-free nesting habitat."
In addition, because Adelie penguins must dive for their fish beneath pack ice, the birds must swim farther from land for their food as those broad floes melt - another threat to the survival of their colonies, Ainley said.

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Baby African Penguins Born At Tanganyika Wildlife Park

Tanganyika Wildlife Park welcomed two African penguin chicks this winter. These are the first African penguin chicks born in the state of Kansas
 
Reporter: News Release
Email Address: news@kake.comWednesday, March 10, 2010

Tanganyika Wildlife Park welcomed two African penguin chicks this winter. These are the first African penguin chicks born in the state of Kansas. The chicks hatched in mid-January – one on the 13th and the other following on the 15th. The fluffy, down-feathered babies were small enough to fit into the palm of a zookeeper’s hand, according to Stephanie Jeter, Tanganyika’s General Curator. The chicks remained with their parents for about three weeks before the decision was made to move them to the nursery, where staff could keep a closer eye on their progress.

Currently, the chicks are doing well and are being hand-fed a steady diet of trout. They weigh approximately 4 pounds each. One chick has been named R Kell (pronounced ar-kel), but the other has yet to receive its official name. A blood test must be done to determine whether the chicks are male or female, and Tanganyika staff plan to wait until the chicks are a little older before testing them.

African penguins, also known as black-footed or jackass penguins, are warm-weather penguins found off the coast of South Africa. Fish make up approximately 40% of the African penguin’s diet, which also includes crustaceans and squid. African penguins mate for life, and both parents care for their young. It is estimated that 120,000 African penguins remain in the wild. Due to a 90% decline in population over the past 60 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the African penguin as endangered.

The penguin chicks will be revealed when Tanganyika opens for its “Early Bird” Preview on Sunday, March 14th. Tanganyika will be open to members and media personnel from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will also be the first to see another baby, also the first of its species born in Kansas. The identity of the second baby will be revealed on the 14th. The general public will have an opportunity to see the new baby penguins starting March 15th through the 21st.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park is an organization dedicated to the conservation of exotic and endangered species. The Park has been operating since 1986 and first opened to the public August 2nd, 2008. Tanganyika Wildlife Park is west of 183rd St on Maple. The Wildlife Park’s hours are 9:00-5:00 Daily. For more information on the Park, please visit www.twpark.com.

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Pet shop manager caught stealing penguin from Japanese zoo

A pet shop manager has been caught attempting to steal a penguin from a zoo in southern Japan.

 

By Julian Ryall in Tokyo
Published: 7:00AM GMT 09 Mar 2010

Humboldt Penguins are native to South America and grow to around 27 inches tall and up to 13lb in weight Photo: PA

 

A security guard at the Nagasaki Bio Park noticed Akira Honda, 24, ushering the Humboldt Penguin into his suitcase in January. According to the zoo, the penguin is worth about Y400,000 (£2,960).

Mr Honda told police that he had run up debts which he intended to pay off by selling the creature to a collector.

Humboldt Penguins are native to South America and grow to around 27 inches tall and up to 13lb in weight. They are currently listed as vulnerable, due largely to the destruction of their habitats, and an estimated 12,000 survive in the wild.

Police investigating the case have since determined that Mr Honda began his pet theft spree in November by snatching a capybara - worth some Y150,000 (£1,100) - from the animal petting section of Uninonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka.

Capybaras are the largest living rodents in the world and are natives of South America. The stolen animal, which can weigh up to 143lb, died in December.

Mr Honda is also charged with stealing a squirrel monkey, also worth around £1,100, from Nagasaki Bio Park on January 18. He later sold the monkey to a collector in Yokohama.

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Image of the Day

4-Seasons Fotowettbewerb - pinguine
Originally uploaded by bauingenieuse

Images of the Day (Playing Catch-up)

Big hug
Originally uploaded by By Elize

I wanna beeeg hug!

South Georgia News

Disease Affects King Penguins

 

A small percentage of King Penguins in a variety of locations around the Island are suffering from disease, possibly avian pox.

Only two affected birds were seen amongst the many thousands at St Andrews Bay, but reports have been received of others at the other main colony sites such as Salisbury Plain and Gold Harbour, and afflicted birds have been seen locally in Cumberland Bay. The affected birds have protruding and obvious lesions. Vets in the Falklands have seen photographs of affected birds and think it may be an outbreak of avian pox, but no samples have yet been taken to confirm the identity of the disease. Penguin biologists are hopeful that the afflicted animals can survive the infection.

Tour ships were asked to be especially vigilant when overseeing their bio-security when moving from one site to another to minimize the risk of human activity spreading the disease.





There are now 11 king penguins nesting at Penguin River, three times more than have ever tried to nest at once there before. By the end of the month three tiny chicks had hatched. The penguins were being kept company by other moulting kings and two moulting chinstrap penguins. Three more chinstrap penguins are moulting on the track close to Grytviken. One has mountaineering instincts and can be seen teetering on a tiny rock ledge well up the cliff with a cascade of moulted feathers below.






A very rare melanistic king penguin was spotted at St Andrews Bay. The penguin has none of the usual white plumage, indeed these sections are perversely darker black than the sections of plumage that are usually described as black in this species.
 

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Image of the Day

P2170085
Originally uploaded by ronalisa