Did you know that there were 17 species of penguins?
You would if you had matriculated at Antarctica University.
There’s a university in Antarctica?
Well, not exactly. It’s a virtual university. And it’s hosted by one of the leading Antarctic research organizations: Oceanities.
Oceanities is an impressive organization — balancing public education (like Penguins 101) with hands-on research.
Ever year, the Oceanities team monitors penguin colonies up and down the Antarctic peninsula, counting penguins by hand, in an effort to understand which colonies are thriving and which are not.
And from what I can tell from their research on Petermann Island, the Adélies are having the hardest time. In just five years, the number of Adélie nests have decreased from 553 to 390. And fewer nests generally means fewer chicks. Gentoos, on the other hand, seem to be doing pretty well, actually increasing their number of nests.
To learn more, visit www.oceanites.org.