Auf den abgelegenen Kerguelen-Inseln wurde eine bislang unbekannte Eselspinguin-Art identifiziert.
APA-Images / Action Press / Antoine Lamielle
ACT -- BY MARK WORGAN Scientists have identified a new species of penguin on the remote Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, the first designated as such in more than 100 years. The southeastern gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis kerguelensis, was previously thought to be the same species as other gentoo penguins. However, an international team of researchers has found that gentoos are actually made up of four genetically distinct species. The penguins' home, the Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are about 1,200 miles (2,000km) north of Antarctica and are among the world's most remote islands. The new species looks almost identical to other gentoo penguins, with a black back and white underside. Researchers say it is an example of a "cryptic species" - an animal that looks very similar to another species but is genetically distinct. The findings were published in the journal Communications Biology by an international team of penguin experts from the US and Chile. Gentoo penguins have been the subject of scientific debate for more than a century. The latest study analysed whole-genome sequences from 64 penguins at 10 breeding colonies, covering almost the entire geographical range of the gentoo. Researchers also compared physical characteristics including colouring, vocalisations, breeding times, diet and feeding behaviour. The study concluded that three previously recognised subspecies should be classified as separate species, alongside the newly identified southeastern gentoo. "There's probably no species of penguin where the taxonomy has been more debated than the gentoo penguin," said Rauri Bowie, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley. "For over 100 years it's been controversial as to how many species or how many subspecies there are. What this paper does is try to address that question using cutting-edge integrative approaches." The four species are now classified as the Northern gentoo, Pygoscel