Warming decimates Antarctica's emperor penguin chicks

Helpless emperor penguin chicks perished at multiple breeding grounds in West Antarctica late last year, drowning or freezing to death when sea ice eroded by global warming gave way under their tiny feet, scientists said Thursday. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. As with the polar bears at the other end of the planet, global warming caused mainly by burning fossil fuels is the only factor threatening the long-term viability of the iconic emperor penguin. In mid-February, Antarctica's sea ice extent shrank to two million square kilometres (nearly 800,000 square miles), about 30 percent below the 1981-2010 average. Male and female emperor penguins are similar in plumage and size, reaching a metre tall and weighing up to 20 kilos.