( NewsNation ) — A new species of gentoo penguin has been discovered on the isolated Kerguelen Islands of the subantarctic region, the first such case in more than 100 years.
One of the species of gentoo penguin lives in the Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean and was unknown until now.
Researchers believe the revelation shows that gentoo penguins consist of four distinct species. They also believe it suggests a growing threat to the population, with warming oceans leaving vulnerable species at even greater risk.
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"In Antarctica, of course, other species, not the gentoo, are threatened by climate change," said Juliana Vianna , one of the paper's senior authors and a professor of ecosystems and environment at Andrés Bello National University in Santiago, Chile. "But the gentoo is of most concern in the sub-Antarctic region."
"It's very important that conservation institutions in all the different countries involved recognize and take appropriate action to save these three gentoo penguin species," Vianna said.
The penguin revelation comes on the heels ...