The case of the missing Emperor penguins

失踪的帝企鹅案件

What in the World

2026-02-27

9 分钟
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Emperor penguins are icons of the penguin world. They are only found in the wild in Antarctica and breed and raise their babies on the ice. Because the Antarctic is so massive and difficult to explore, scientists rely on satellite images to detect colonies and the penguins’ activities. Once a year penguins shed all their feathers on the ice and replace them with new ones. The feathers they leave behind can also be seen on satellites - but now scientists are worried. Recently they haven’t seen much evidence of this “mega moult”. BBC climate and science correspondent Georgina Rannard explains what this could mean for the Emperor penguin populations. And finally, Ash from the What in the World team brings a few more animal stories she’s spotted this week, including an update on viral sensation Punch the Monkey, in Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, William Lee Adams and Ash Mohamed Editor: Verity Wilde
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  • Hey guys, I'm Iqra and this is What's in the World from the BBC World Service.

  • We're taking you to Antarctica for this one.

  • When it comes to the icons of the penguin world, the emperor penguin is winning hands down.

  • To throw a few facts at you, they only live in Antarctica and they're basically Olympic divers.

  • They can reach depths of over 500 metres and stay underwater for up to 22 minutes.

  • Crazy.

  • Also, male emperor penguins have one of the most extreme fasts in the animal kingdom.

  • They'll not eat for up to four months whilst they breed and look after the egg until it hatches and the mother returns to feed.

  • In other words, no eating until the queens are back.

  • And your final fact, they replace all their feathers in one go.

  • It's called a catastrophic molt and happens once a year.

  • They can lose 45% of their body mass during this time.