Events Scientists
have recently found dozens of dead penguins on Brazilian beaches. Scientists have not yet been able to explain the cause of their death, but they have some guesses.
Biologist Thiago do Nascimento says that in the past 10 days alone, about 500 dead penguins have been found on the beaches of São Paulo State, in Peruiba, Praia Grande and Itanhay. They were mostly Magellanic penguins, who were moving north from Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands in search of food. The fact that their search was unsuccessful is evidenced by the autopsy results of several birds whose stomachs were empty. According to Nascimento, this indicates that the penguins starved to death.
Scientists have several versions in this regard, all of which need to be verified. The first concerns weather conditions: researchers are trying to find out whether strong currents or lower water temperatures could affect the population of species that penguins feed on. The second version is related to the human factor: overfishing of fish and shellfish significantly reduces their number.
Scientists say that this migration of penguins to the north is quite common. It is also inevitable that some of them may get lost, or die of hunger or exhaustion and stay on the Brazilian coast forever. According to Nascimento, penguins died, but not in such large numbers: out of 100-150 birds that swim to the beaches, only 10 were dead. Now scientists are concerned about the fact that many penguins died in a very short time.