Emperor penguins live and raise their families in Antarctica, one of the coldest places on Earth. Temperatures here can drop far below freezing, and strong winds and snow cover the land.
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Yet, these penguins have adapted to survive. They are the largest and heaviest penguin species alive today and have endured Antarctica’s harsh conditions for nearly a million years.
Emperor penguins have a very special way of raising their chicks. Every year, when winter begins around March or April, they gather on a kind of sea ice called “fast ice.” This ice is frozen ocean water that is still attached to the land. It stays in place and doesn’t float away like other ice. This is where the penguins choose to lay their eggs and raise their young.
Unlike other penguins that leave the icy coast during winter, emperor penguins stay put. The males take care of the eggs. They huddle close together in large groups to stay warm and protect the eggs from the cold. Meanwhile, the females go off into the ocean to find food like fish, krill, and squid.
After a few months, the females return to feed the newly hatched chicks. Then, the roles reverse, and the males head to sea to eat. This continues until summer, when the chicks finally grow thick, waterproof feathers. These feathers allow them to survive in the freezing water when they go to sea for the first time.
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This cycle depends completely on the presence of fast ice. The ice must last from early winter to late summer—about nine months. If the ice melts too soon, the chicks will not be ready to survive in the ocean.
Melting Ice, Rising Risk
But now, climate change is disrupting this perfect timing. Antarctica is warming, and the sea ice is shrinking. In some places, it is melting too early, before the chicks grow their adult feathers. This is creating a serious threat for emperor penguin colonies.
Without waterproof feathers, young chicks cannot survive in the icy ocean. If the ice breaks up too soon, they fall into the sea and die quickly. The cold water kills them because they are not yet strong enough or protected enough to swim and hunt.
Scientists recently studied satellite images taken from 2009 to 2024. They looked at 16 emperor penguin colonies located in the region south of South America, including parts of the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea. They wanted to see what was happening to the fast ice and the penguins depending on it.
Their findings are alarming. The total number of penguins in those colonies dropped by an average of 22%. That means around 1.6% of the population is being lost every year. This rate of loss is about 50% worse than what experts had feared in earlier predictions.
This isn’t just a small problem. If this rate continues, entire colonies could vanish. Fewer chicks survive each year, and the population keeps shrinking.
Timing Is Everything
Raising a chick in Antarctica takes time. Emperor penguins need about nine months—from egg laying to chick independence. During this period, the fast ice must stay strong and unbroken. If it melts too early, chicks will not survive. If it forms too late, the adults can’t begin breeding on time.
Penguins choose their nesting sites carefully. They look for places that are not too far from the ocean. This helps the adults return quickly with food. But the site also can’t be too close to the edge of the ice. The outer edges are more likely to break off early due to ocean swells and warming water.
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It’s like a “Goldilocks zone”—not too far and not too close. However, this balance is becoming harder to find. In recent years, some colonies have faced early sea ice breakup. The chicks in those colonies did not survive, and the number of breeding pairs shrank.
As more sea ice disappears earlier in the year, more chicks are dying before they can grow strong. This causes colony sizes to drop year after year.
Emperor Penguins Face Trouble as Antarctic Ice Shrinks
We don’t yet know if all of Antarctica’s penguin colonies are being affected the same way. The study only looked at one section of the continent. Other regions could also be seeing declines, or they might still be stable—for now.
But what is certain is this: Antarctica is changing. The sea ice is melting sooner, and emperor penguins are in real danger. These birds depend on stable ice and perfect timing to raise their young. When that balance is lost, their future is at risk.
In 2021, the United States declared emperor penguins endangered due to climate threats. This means they face a very high chance of going extinct by the end of this century. However, not all countries have recognized this threat yet.
For now, the fast ice continues to melt—and more chicks are being lost before they are ready to swim into the wild, cold ocean that was once their safe home.
