Magellanic penguin mortality in 2008 along the SW Atlantic coast

GARCÍA BORBOROGLU, PABLO; BOERSMA, P. DEE; RUOPPOLO, VALERIA; PINHO DA SILVA, RODOLFO; CORRADO, ANDREA; CONTE, DANIELA; VELOZO, RAQUEL; MYIAJI, CRISTIANE; DUTRA, GUSTAVO; MARACINI, PRISCILLA; CARVALHO, CLAUDIA; RAMOS, VALDIR; BARBOSA, LUPERCIO; SERRA, SHEILA

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam, Holanda; Año: 2010 vol. 60 p. 1652 - 1657

0025-326X

Magellanic penguins migrate from Patagonia reaching northern Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil on their winter migration, in parallel with the seasonal pulse of anchovy spawning. In 2008, Magellanic penguins went further north than usual. Many died and a few swam nearly to the Equator. Twelve groups surveyed 5,000 km of coastline encountering 3,371 penguins along the coast. Most penguins arrived in northern Brazil (68.4%) without petroleum (2,933, 87 %). Almost all penguins without petroleum were juveniles (2915, 99%) and 55% were alive when found. Penguins were dehydrated, anemic, hypothermic, and emaciated. Of the penguins with petroleum, 13% arrived in the southern half of Brazil, showing that petroleum pollution remains a problem along the SW Atlantic coast. The mortality occurred in the winter of 2008 when sea surface temperature were unusually cold perhaps reducing the prey for penguins.