Penguins are being less faithful because of... climate change

Penguins only mate with one male/female all their life. If one of them dies, the other will live alone for the rest of his life. But the rapid pace of climate change is changing this.

Penguins are flightless species that live mainly in the Southern Hemisphere. This bird has long been known as the most faithful animal. They mate with only one male/female for the rest of their lives and raise chicks together.

But not all penguins have faithful reproductive habits. They are faithful, but are faithful during each breeding season. At the end of the breeding season they no longer mate. In fact, before the breeding season, penguins can mate with many different cubs, only when actually nesting and raising young do they mate with a single one. And their mates often repeat from one breeding season to another.

Penguins have long been believed to be the most faithful animals

The rate of fidelity also varies widely among penguin species.

According to research published in Comptes Rendus Biologies and The Auk journal, 89 percent of Galapagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) are attached to their mates, but the ratio is just 15 of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) %.

Emma Marks, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) who specializes in reproductive behavior and mate selection in birds that gather in large flocks, said: "Success in the breeding season Pre-pregnancy will play a role in determining whether penguin couples will stay together for the long term. the chances of the female going back to her previous male are higher. If not, the females are also more likely to go looking for better males."

Overall, the loyalty rate among penguins is around 89% (in 2013), but has been decreasing in recent years.

According to ecologist Emma Marks, the cause of penguin infidelity is the impact of climate change.

Shrinking habitats, reduced food sources, plus being prey for seals make it not always possible for penguins that have mated in the previous breeding season to come together this season.

According to research published in the journal Ambio, the penguin population is declining at a proportionally lower rate than the number of krill. Climate change and human fishing are the main factors causing the decline in the number of krill, the penguin's food source.

Melting ice also forces penguins to move into different breeding grounds, affecting not only migratory behavior but also breaking up pairs of birds that have mated many previous breeding seasons.

"Some males are now gradually migrating to the spawning grounds, but soon become exhausted from navigating the swimming path due to the changing position of the ice sheets. When they lose their strength they will arrive at the nesting grounds slowly, having difficulty collecting. suck the females and care for the eggs properly," Marks said.

If one of the two dies, the other will not live alone for the rest of its life as previous studies have shown. One of them is forced to find a new mate, even fighting for a mate, fighting for a nest with another.