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Experts Get the Poop on Penguins

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 2, 2009 4:19 AM CDT

(Newser) – Emperor penguin droppings are so concentrated that the reddish-brown guano has been spotted from space, reports the Times of London. That's a good thing because it's helping scientists pinpoint colonies of the giant birds in Antarctica and help experts track climate change affects. “The ice gets pretty dirty and it's the guano stains that we can see,” said the lead researcher, who examined satellite images of the droppings. Colonies have already began to shift due to melting.

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Emperor penguins and their chicks cluster in Antarctica. (AP Photo/Warner Independent Pictures, Jerome Maison)

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Using satellite images combined with counts of penguin numbers puts us in a much better position to monitor future population changes over time.
- Penguin ecologist Phil Trathan

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