Thousands of penguins found dead in Antarctica (3 photos)

Now scientists are trying to figure out what caused the mass death of birds.





Last month, the Antarctic Institute discovered the carcasses of at least 532 Adélie penguins. A small team of researchers was unable to count all the carcasses on the large island, estimating that in total several thousand individuals died over a period of weeks or months.

At this time of year, a colony of 280,000 penguins usually breeds on the island. According to team leader Dewar, by the time the expedition arrived, the living penguins had already moved on.



Although researchers suspect the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus killed the penguins, field tests were inconclusive, the university said.

The samples have been sent to laboratories, which the researchers hope will provide answers in the coming months.

Scientists are particularly concerned that the often-deadly H5N1 flu could wipe out endangered penguin species and other animals on the remote southern continent.



Dewar's expedition discovered the presence of the H5 strain of avian influenza on the Antarctic Peninsula and three nearby islands in seabirds, predators that feed on penguin eggs and chicks.

The disease has spread more aggressively through wildlife than ever before since arriving in South America in 2022 and quickly made its way to Antarctica, where the first case of H5N1 was confirmed in February.