Hidden From The World Until Now, A Supercolony Of 1.5 Million Penguins Discovered In Antarctica

The effects of climate change can be greatly gauged by several incidents that have affected the Antarctic region. We saw a NASA map that showed the rapid melting of the region's ice. We also witnessed a giant hole opening up in Antarctica. Moving glaciers and breaking icebergs just added to these concerns.

But the scientists can now ease their furrowed brows, for a huge discovery has been made. 

A previously unknown 'supercolony' of Adélie penguins has been found in the Antarctic, easing scientists' fears that their numbers had been dwindling for decades.

The colony that inhabits the Danger Islands is 1.5 million strong. The Islands is the region where climate change and human intervention have been less pervasive.

They are located off the Antartic Peninsula's northern point - they are both remote and covered in a thick sheet of ice. This is what helped the penguins remain hidden from us until a team of researchers embarked on an expedition to investigate their existence.

The researchers carefully studied the birds from the ground as well from above with the use of drones. They discovered a total of 751,527 pairs of penguins inhabiting the island - way more than the entire Antarctic Peninsula combined.

The scientists are thrilled about this colony, but more importantly, they are equally urgent in protecting the colony from the invasion of climate change and human activity. We hope that the Adélie penguins never come to know of the threats plaguing our world.