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In 1994, we were asked to participate in an international project with Landcare Research in New Zealand to help study the behavior of Adelie penguins in
Antarctica. Utilizing a technology that we developed several years earlier,
to track domestic animals, we developed an apparatus to track the comings
and goings of individual penguins in their natural breeding environment. We
track individual identity, direction and speed of travel, and weight. Using
this information it is possible to track how much a penguin weighs on the
way out to sea and how much it weighs after feeding. We can then calculate
how much food they gathered. To identify the individual penguins we use
an implantable transponder that we developed that is about the size of a
grain of rice. Larger, active, transmitters cannot be used due to the
small size of the bird. Ultimately this information will be used to better
understand the health of the Southern Oceans. | |
