Alarming mass extinction in Uruguayan waters raises concerns
Carmen Leizagoyen, who works at the Uruguayan Ministry of Environment, stated, "The death rate in the water is ninety percent, and these are young specimens coming with no fat reserves and empty stomachs."
- Agencies and A News / Life
- Published Date: 01:46 PM 27 July 2023
- Updated Date: 01:54 PM 27 July 2023
The cause of this mass extinction is still unknown, but scientists are concerned that extreme climate changes have contributed to the rapid decline of species.
Since 2004, experts have considered Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) as a 'threatened species'.
In the last 30 years, hundreds of these birds have been found dead on the eastern coasts of South America, a common occurrence.
For example, in 2010, more than 550 penguins died of hunger on the shores of Brazil.
Two years later, 745 more penguins died on the country's coastline. Interestingly, these mass deaths are not necessarily due to the same cause.
For instance, in 2019, it was revealed that 354 penguins died in their nesting areas in Argentina due to an extreme heatwave.