#EmperorPenguins were already considered near threatened due to the loss of #coastal #SeaIce, which they rely on for raising chicks. Early ice breakup can lead to colonies falling into the ocean before chicks grow their waterproof feathers, causing the hatchlings to drown.

There are less than 600,000 adult emperor penguins left in the wild, & new projections suggest that the population could fall to half that by the 2080s, acc/to the International Union for the #Conservation of #Nature [#IUCN].