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Canaries in the Antarctic

An Adélie penguin bends low to check on its eggs, which are snuggled into the warm skin and feathers between its legs. Adélies live for 15 to 20 years, and they begin breeding around age five or six. After the female lays her eggs (almost always two of them), she heads out to sea to feed. The high latitudes of the Antarctic, where these animals live, and the Arctic are experiencing some of the most rapid warming of any region on the planet. As a result, animals such as penguins, polar bears, whales, and even algae are facing steep challenges in coping with a changing environment.(Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)