On November 1st, 2024, a strange sight unfolded on a beach in southern Australian. Beachgoers at Ocean Beach, Australia, a common tourist spot, were surprised to see an Emperor Penguin waddle on shore.
The large bird clearly stood out to anyone familiar with the local wildlife. While there are some penguin species native to Australia, such as the Little Blue Penguin (also called the Fairy Penguin), Emperor Penguins exclusively reside in Antarctica. At the time this penguin appeared emaciated, weighing 47 pounds (CBS News, 2024). This is significantly lower than the average weight of healthy Emperor Penguin males after breeding season.
As previously mentioned, the presence of a penguin on Ocean Beach might be expected for a Little Blue Penguin, the smallest species of penguin. However, prior to November 1st, 2024, an Emperor Penguin had never been spotted in Australia. In fact, the two species of penguin could not be more different in terms of appearance, as Emperor Penguins are the largest species of penguin.
It is estimated this Emperor Penguin, who was later named Gus, swam a total of 2,000 miles from his homeland of Antarctica. That is the equivalent of swimming 44,000 laps in an Olympic swimming pool (Woodall, 2024). This would certainly qualify Gus for a gold medal in long-distance swimming. With this context, it makes sense why Gus would be severely underweight and exhausted.
Gus’s Journey
Aaron Fowler, who was on the beach when Gus arrived, told NPR that the lost bird approached him. Fowler recalled Gus waddled towards him, perhaps mistaking him for another penguin (Lim & Jarenwattananon, 2024). This social behavior, even towards humans, has been observed in many species of penguins. Researchers suggest many penguin species’ lack of terrestrial predators as a reason for this social behavior.
Onlookers called registered wildlife caretaker, Carol Biddulph, who took Gus into her care. She cared for him 20 days, even providing him with his name (CBS News, 2024), until he was fully recovered and ready to return to the wild.
While in Biddulph’s care, Gus was provided a consistent diet of fluids, then a slurry mixture, and eventually 20 pilchard fish three times per day (Kuta, 2024). This progression ensured that Gus would recover fully from his emaciated state. After all, it was a race against the clock for Biddulph and Gus, as Australia is entering their summer season (Guo, 2024). The natural temperature increase would make it more difficult for Gus to successfully rehabilitate back into his environment.
Biddulph recalled worrying about Gus’s chance for survival. The severity of his emaciation was so severe she feared he would not make it (Kuta, 2024). However, Gus proved to be a survivor and regained enough weight to be released.
Since Biddulph regularly rehabilitates injured or sick penguins, she knew Gus would need certain accommodations to help in his recovery. As previously discussed, penguins are generally social animals. Since Gus has been separated from other Emperor Penguins, Biddulph placed a mirror in his enclosure (Kuta, 2024). This prevented Gus from becoming lonely, which could have impeded his recovery.
Thanks to Biddulph’s care and hard work, collaboration from members of the local community, and Gus’s perseverance, the penguin was able to be released off the southern coast of Australia. Biddulph told Sarah Kuta from the Smithsonian Magazine that she will miss Gus, but she was thrilled to see his confident return to the ocean (Kuta, 2024).
Why aren’t there Emperor Penguins in Australia?
Gus’s arrival in Australia was the first record of any Emperor Penguin on this continent. This makes Gus what birdwatchers and ornithologists would call a “vagrant” (Kuta, 2024). Unlike other species of penguin, which prefer warmer temperatures, Emperor Penguins are not known to swim so far north. Emperor Penguins have been exclusively observed in Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean. The second largest species of penguin, King Penguins, have been observed in some of the islands south of Australia (Rykers, 2018). However, their adaptations and behaviors allow them to thrive in slightly warmer climates compared to the larger Emperor Penguin.
Emperor Penguins have evolved to display a series of adaptations of behaviors that distinguish them from other species of penguins. These adaptations and behaviors help them to survive in the Antarctic and include:
- Densely packed feathers
- A large stature
- A storage of surplus body fat
However, all of these would make it more difficult for Emperor Penguins to survive in a warmer environment, such as Australia. Thus, it makes sense why Emperor Penguins are exclusively indigenous to Antarctica. This has left many researchers stumped as to how Gus ended up in Australia.
Possible Reasons for Gus’s Detour
Scientists have acknowledged a large gap in the research regarding Emperor Penguins’ breeding and migratory patterns. While there is still much unknown about Emperor Penguins like Gus, there are several theories as to how one could reach Australia.
Many of these theories suggest Gus became separated from members of his colony while hunting. Penguins, like other migratory birds, are hardwired to travel back and forth without getting lost. This has led researchers to believe something significant must have set Gus off course. It is likely Gus could have become disoriented by either internal or external stimuli. Some researchers have suggested a storm could have caused his departure from the group (Kuta, 2024).
Another theory suggests that warming water temperatures may have sent Gus farther out in search of food. A heating climate and overfishing, in some areas, has changed the availability and migration patterns of fish. Penguin species, like the Emperor Penguin, rely on these fish. For this reason, it takes penguins longer to return to their chicks and mate, increasing their risk of starvation. It is possible Gus separated from other Emperor Penguins due to a scarcity of fish.
Currently Dr. Michelle LaRue at the University of Canterbury is partnering with NASA and MBIE to gain better insight into Emperor Penguin’s migratory behaviors through the use of satellite technology (University of Canterbury, 2024). This news came prior to Gus’s journey to Australia. However, it appears this research could be more relevant now than ever before.
What Can we Learn from Gus
While Gus’s story is interesting, it might be an indicator of a larger problem related to climate change. As previously stated, warming ocean temperatures have made it more difficult for penguins to find food for themselves and their chicks. It is possible that Gus’s detour to Australia may have been caused by such a struggle.
Gus’s story is a reminder of how our actions impact not only other people but other species. While human impacts on the environment could have led Gus off course, it was also through human intervention that he was able to be rehabilitated. Beachgoers responded appropriately by keeping a respectful distance from Gus and calling local wildlife rehabilitation services. This serves as a reminder of what to do if one sees an injured or malnourished animal acting outside of their normal behavior. Good luck, Gus!
References
CBS News. (2024). “Gus,” emperor penguin found on Australian beach after swimming from Antarctica, released at sea after 20 days of care. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emperor-penguin-australia-gus-2200-miles-antarctic-released-at-sea-20-days-later/
Guo, P. (2024). ‘Good luck, Gus’: Emperor penguin found in Australia is released back into the wild. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/emperor-penguin-found-australia-released-back-wild-rcna181295
Kuta, S. (2024). Gus, the Young Emperor Penguin Who Made a Surprise Appearance in Australia, Is Now Heading Home. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gus-the-young-emperor-penguin-who-made-a-surprise-appearance-in-australia-is-now-heading-home-180985527/
Lim, M. & Jarenwattananon, P. (2024). Gus, the presumably lost emperor penguin, heads home. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/11/22/nx-s1-5202802/gus-the-presumably-lost-emperor-penguin-heads-home
Rykers, E. (2018). A guide to Australia’s penguins. Australian Geographic. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2024/11/takayna-tarkine/
University of Canterbury. (2024) “NASA, MBIE Support for Spotting Emperor Penguins from Space.” University of Canterbury, www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-events/news/2024/nasa–mbie-support-for-spotting-emperor-penguins-from-space.
Woodall, T. (2024). This penguin swam 2,000 miles to Australia—and we don’t know why. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/emperor-penguin-found australia#:~:text=But%20in%20an%20astonishing%20feat,in%20a%20Olympic%2Dsize%20pool.
