Threatened by climate change If the ice breaks, the chicks drown - emperor penguins now "critically endangered"
Emperor penguins are now considered "critically endangered". The World Conservation Union explains why the early break-up of the sea ice is becoming a deadly danger for the animals and their chicks.
12.04.2026, 22:56
12.04.2026, 22:57
dpa
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- The emperor penguin is threatened by the consequences of climate change and is therefore now officially classified as "critically endangered".
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reclassified it on its list of species threatened with extinction, stating that the population has shrunk by ten percent in less than ten years.
- Because the sea ice is breaking up earlier and earlier, the penguin chicks are in mortal danger of falling into the sea and drowning.
The emperor penguin in the Antarctic is getting worse and worse as a result of climate change. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now classifies them as "critically endangered" on its list of endangered species.
The population of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) shrank by ten percent between 2009 and 2018. According to the analysis of satellite images, there were probably still around 180,000 animals in 2018. The IUCN assumes that this number is likely to halve by 2080 without drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
If the ice breaks, the chicks drown
"The main reason for this is the early break-up and loss of sea ice, which has reached record lows since 2016," says the IUCN. Emperor penguins need sea ice that is anchored to the coast, the seabed or fixed icebergs, the experts report.
The sea ice is the chicks' habitat, even during the annual moulting period when penguins grow new plumage and cannot swim for two to four weeks. If the ice breaks too early, a breeding colony falls into the sea and drowns.
The IUCN - a network of scientists, governments and environmental groups - has "concluded that human-induced climate change is the most significant threat to emperor penguins", explained Philip Trathan, a member of the IUCN expert group responsible for compiling the Red List.
The battle for krill
The IUCN has also recently classified the Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) as critically endangered. Its population has more than halved between 1999 and 2025 to an estimated 944,000 animals.
One of the problems here is that small crustaceans, known as krill, are diving deeper and deeper in search of cold water due to rising sea temperatures. The seal cubs therefore lack food. According to the IUCN, the lack of krill is also due to the fact that the population of baleen whales, which are looking for the same food, has recovered.
