Recent satellite imaging has helped us discover remote Antarctic islands, dubbed the Danger Islands, and through these images, scientists discovered a colony of over one million Adelie Penguins living on them. Scientists claim that it was all in all due to the lack of research on the area and these penguins hiding in absolutely plain sight. The Danger Islands are surrounded by high-risk waters with plenty of sea-ice, making them difficult to sail through. A report by Financial Express provided most of the information used in this article.

Hiding under scientists’ noses since the 1950s

The investigation by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution into these birds began in 2014 when massive spots of guano were found scattered over the islands. Once discovered, each of the penguins was hand-counted and a drone flew overhead, snapping as many photos as they could potentially capture of the curious find.

Over the course of the last several years, most animals, including the Adelie penguin, have seen issues in sustaining their population. This colony in itself was seemingly barely affected by the population decline. According to scientists, it is more than likely that the other colonies were more affected due to the melting ice in their regions.

These penguins survive heavily off of krill hiding within the ice. With this, fishermen and other human causes are likely the reason for the dropping populations in other colonies.

Realizing they held other satellite imagery from the same islands, scientists looked back to photographs from the 1950s and compared to see if the population had adjusted or changed dramatically.

Fortunately, it seems as though the colony has stayed relatively the same even as the decades have passed.

Little penguins living in safety

Adelie penguins are one of the five species of penguin that live within and surrounding the Arctic Circle. They are fairly medium-sized penguins that can be pointed out by the specific white-ring around their eyes.

This particular colony is said to be sustaining itself very well due how the Eastern side of Antarctica is being less affected by climate change, unlike the Western side where the ice is melting much more.

These penguins have countless videos and documentaries truly showing them off for what they are: Pranksters and go-getters. It is unsurprising that they somehow managed to surprise scientists all over the world by finding just about the best place they could choose to live. Scientists hope these birds will continue to prosper on their islands and potentially grow even more.
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