Japanese Researchers Find Adelie Penguins Often Reach New Foraging Grounds by Following Colony Members After Failed Solo Attempts
A Sokendai-led team tracked 116 Adelie penguins near Japan’s Showa Station and found that unsuccessful foraging trips prompted penguins to follow colony members to new feeding areas.
The Japan TimesA team of Japanese researchers found that Adelie penguins in Antarctica tend to reach new foraging grounds by moving in groups after unsuccessful attempts to find food. The team, led by Japan’s Graduate University for Advanced Studies, or Sokendai, published the findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Wednesday.
The team observed a colony of Adelie penguins in Lutzow-Holm Bay near Japan’s Showa Station research base in Antarctica.
The study analyzed data from 116 penguins fitted with activity recorders. Many penguins repeatedly visited the same feeding grounds. The team discovered that penguins had a tendency to reach new foraging grounds by following fellow colony members if they failed to find food.
The team believes that the penguins had developed a strategy of returning to successful foraging grounds and seeking new areas if their foraging trips were unsuccessful. The team suggested that this behavior contributed to an increase in overall food acquisition.
“We were able to demonstrate the advantages of animals living in groups based on behavioral data collected in the field,” said Akinori Takahashi, a professor at Sokendai and an expert in animal ecology.
“The findings represent a significant achievement that will help us understand why social life evolved among animals and the impact of population decline,” he added.
