As part of her doctoral work in zoology at the University of Oxford, College of Charleston alumna Caitlin Black ’12 is part of a research team using the crowd-sourcing power of the Internet to study penguins.
Caitlin Black ’12
At the College, Black was a biology major and member of the Honors College. Her Ph.D. research is focused on how environmental factors influence penguin behaviors.
Black and her colleagues recently launched a website called Penguin Watch, which asks citizen scientists to participate in the project by annotating images of penguins. Nearly 200,000 images have been collected since the team’s cameras were installed in 2009 at penguin colonies in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
RELATED: Read an article about the Penguin Watch project.
By clicking on adults, chicks and eggs within each image, users can help the scientists examine breeding changes and how penguins spend the winter months.
Here, Black identifies 7 Things You Can Learn About Penguins by Spying Via Penguin Watch:
1. Penguins Often Inhabit ‘Warm’ Areas
The colonies monitored on Penguin Watch include birds in South Georgia and the Falkland Islands where temperatures reach upwards of 68 degrees. That’s warm by Antarctic standards.
2. Penguins Live With Reindeer
On the island of South Georgia, reindeer are considered an invasive species and inhabit areas where penguins breed. The Penguin Watch cameras have already captured reindeer in multiple images.
3. Penguins Are Filthy
Don’t let the tuxedos fool you. Most penguins are filthy from sitting on their nests or waiting to change nest duty with their partners. But penguins are often photographed after emerging fresh and clean from the sea. The Penguin Watch photos reveal their true colors.
4. Penguins Often Have Two Chicks
Many penguin species lay two eggs and care for two chicks, which are often very different in size.
5. Penguins Are Prey for Other Birds
Skuas and Southern giant petrels often prey on penguin chicks. Adult penguins are very aggressive toward intruders and always fight back.
6. Penguins Are Fascinated by Mail Service in Antarctica
In Port Lockroy, Antarctica, a gentoo penguin colony exists right outside the doors of a British post office.
7. Penguin Nests Are Made of Pebbles
Many species of penguins build their nests from small pebbles. They are very particular about the size and shape of pebbles and can often be seen stealing stones from other nests.
