A mysterious ailment is causing penguins to lose their feathers, according to researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The condition, called feather-loss disorder, has been seen in penguin chicks in both sides of the Atlantic Ocean the past few years and is featured in a recent edition of the journal "Waterbirds," the conservation society said in a press release.
While scientists don't know what could cause a penguin to go "naked," possible culprits include genetics, nutrient imbalances, thyroid disorders or pathogens.
“We need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species,” Dee Boersma, who has studied Magellanic penguins, said in the release.
Feather loss in pet birds has long been a common ailment seen by pet stores and private owners, but researchers studying the penguins in the Atlantic said this is something different.
“The recent emergence of feather-loss disorder in wild bird populations suggests that the disorder is something new,” Mariana Varese, acting director of the society’s Latin America and Caribbean program, is quoted as saying in the release. “More study of this malady can help identify the root cause, which in turn will help illuminate possible solutions,” she said.
While the illness does not appear to be fatal, the sick birds, unlike their feathered counterparts, linger in the sun instead of seeking refuge from the midday heat. That behavior has led to several deaths, according to the release.
Disease is not the only recent peril that Atlantic penguins have faced.
A few weeks ago, volunteers from Nightingale Island, a British territory that is part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, mobilized to save tens of thousands of Northern Rockhopper penguins threatened by an oil spill.
It has been a surreal year in animal deaths. In January, tens of thousands of birds and fish were found dead in countries around the world.
Recently dolphins, some with oil inside them, have turned up dead in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists don’t know why.
Sensitivity surrounding marine life in the area is particularly high after the BP oil disaster that sent millions of barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico nearly a year ago.
"Even though they have oil on them, it may not be the cause of death," Blair Mase, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine mammal investigations coordinator, told CNN. "We want to look at the gamut of all the possibilities."
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A mysterious ailment is causing penguins to lose their feathers. The condition is called feather-loss disorder.
man, thats a good name.
May be the birds are just evolving and they trying to adapt to new ecological change that our world is facing now and wich can cause mutation or natural selection in those birds' genes! All the ingredients of evolution are there: 1) Variation: pinguin without feathers. Pressure: Global warming, too much sun causing hit. 3) Time: over time these changes in genes can be seen (that's probably what we noticing right now on those pinguins)
Terrorism.
and they don't know why.........DUH. We have so polluted our waters. It's alll downhill from here.
Don't know what's causing it? Try oil spills/medical waste/nuclear waste/garbage/non biodegradible plastics/toxic waste ect. Im sure ya'll get the picture. Don't need to be any sort of scientist to figure that one out. Sad but true.
Penguins are cute.
No, the scientists aren't stupid, they are being paid off. Pretty simple.
Another big heartbreak!!
It's chemicals, i.e. the surfactants used during the BP oil spill
You lose hair from radiation you know.
"Recently dolphins, some with oil inside them, have turned up dead in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists don’t know why."
Hmmmm...scientists don't know why...hm – MAYBE ITS THE OIL THAT THEY INGESTED!!?
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Can't....Quit....Smelling....Finger............................MMMMMMMMMM
justa...little...taste.... MMMMMMMMMMMM
Purposely brush my "finger-lickin-good" finger across the bottom of your nose so you can enjoy the sweet smell with me....MMMMMMMM
"A mysterious ailment is causing penguins to lose their feather" – yeah, it's called MANKIND!
Um . . . There are no penguins living in the Gulf of Mexico. They do inhabit the extreme south Atlantic Ocean.
Almost all the oil was cleaned up by naturally occurring bacteria. It's gone. Also, global warming is a myth. See Al Gore, and why his profits are soaring.