Buzzfeed reported on March 2nd that scientists discovered 1.5 million penguins in Antarctica.
Scientists journeyed to a part of Antarctica that humans have rarely before explored. While there, they found a “hideout” of no fewer 1.5 million Adelie penguins. Buzzfeed reports that this hideout is a means for the penguins to avoid extinction.
Adelie penguins live primarily on the western part of the continent, but scientists did not know much about life on the eastern part. Adelie penguins have been going extinct at rapid rates on the west, making the discovery of them on the east all the more remarkable.
The scientists who excavated on the journey hope this population stays intact. They hope to see “the same number or more” in two to five years.