King penguin faces extinction due to climate change

The prospect that the King penguin will go extinct as a result of climate warming is rising inexorably, scientists say today.

Second only to Emperor penguins in size, King Penguins - distinguished by their ear patches of bright golden- orange feathers - thrive on the islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, with a total population of over two million breeding pairs. Because King penguins sit on the food chain in their region, they are sensitive indicators of alterations to the marine ecosystem and feel the effects of climate change more keenly as a result - in this case, the warming is reducing their food supply.

Global warming is happening much more quickly in some parts of the frozen continent, particularly the north-west area known as the Antarctic Peninsula, where in the last 50 years temperatures have risen by about 2.5ºC - as much as five times the world average . But for these penguins, which do not live near the peninsula, the effects are caused by a warming of sub polar sea surface temperatures.