Shifting winds and ocean currents double endangered Galapagos penguin population

Galápagos penguins. Credit: Snowmanradio on Flickr

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS – Shifts in trade winds and ocean currents powered a resurgence of Galápagos penguins over the past 30 years, according to a new study. These changes enlarged a cold pool of water the penguins rely on for food and breeding – an expansion that could continue as the climate changes over the coming decades, the study’s authors said.

The Galápagos Islands, a chain of islands 1000km west of mainland Ecuador, are home to the only penguins in the Northern Hemisphere. The 48-cm tall black and white Galápagos penguins landed on the endangered species list in 2000 after the population plummeted to only a few hundred individuals and are now considered the rarest penguins in the world.