Overview
- The IUCN’s Red List update Thursday reclassified the emperor penguin as endangered, the Kerguelen fur seal as endangered, and the southern elephant seal as vulnerable.
- Emperor penguins breed on stable “fast ice,” and early breakups have caused whole colonies to lose chicks to drowning or freezing before they grow waterproof feathers.
- IUCN population models project the emperor penguin could lose about half its numbers by the 2080s without sharp cuts to greenhouse gases, prompting calls from conservation leaders to decarbonize now.
- The Kerguelen fur seal has dropped by roughly 50% since 1999 as warming seas push krill into deeper, colder water, reducing food near South Georgia where most of the species breeds.
- Southern elephant seals were downgraded after highly pathogenic avian influenza hit four of the five main subpopulations, with some colonies losing over 90% of pups.