Emperor penguin swims to Australia in longest recorded journey

An emperor penguin swam roughly 3434 kilometres from Antarctica to Western Australia in what scientists believe is the longest journey ever recorded for the species.

The penguin was spotted by a surfer in the small coastal town of Denmark, who initially thought he had noticed a sea bird exiting the water, before realising the creature was “way bigger”.

“We [were] like ‘what is that thing coming out of the water?’ And it had a tail sticking out like a duck,” said Aaron Fowler.

The emperor penguin that swam from Antarctica to Australia.Credit: Aaron Fowler

The bird made its way out of the sea and waddled over to the group of surfers, Fowler told the ABC. “He was not shy at all,” he added.

The young male, which stood about a metre tall, probably started its journey from one of about 60 known emperor penguin colonies in eastern Antarctica and swam to Ocean Beach.

As far as scientists are aware, penguins have never made such a long journey north, though two are known to have reached southern New Zealand. Other penguins, such as the smaller king penguins, have made similarly long journeys.

Dr Belinda Cannell, a penguin expert at the University of Western Australia, said: “The furthest north they go from Antarctica is about 50 degrees south from my readings and Ocean Beach is 35 degrees south, so a lot further north than what they’ve ever tracked juvenile penguins from Antarctica before.”

One of the theories behind the penguin’s journey is that it was following a strong current, which the birds tend to do when hunting food.

Cannell said the penguin, which was malnourished when it was taken in by scientists, would have to find its own way home once it is released.

“I would presume, I would hope, that it would actually find its way back down to Antarctica,” she said.

About a third of emperor penguin breeding colonies are vulnerable to rising sea levels and the loss of ice, though Cannell does not necessarily believe this was the cause of the young penguin’s journey.

“But, really, they’re made for the cold, and so having them in areas that are outside the Antarctic means they get heat-stressed very quickly. So why it got this far, I’d love to know.”

A king penguin, a close relative of larger emperor penguins, this year swam thousands of kilometres from the Antarctic region to southern Australia.

The Telegraph, London

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