{"id":425596,"date":"2026-04-09T10:12:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/?p=425596"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:22:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:22:44","slug":"emperor-penguin-and-antarctic-fur-seal-now-endangered-due-to-climate-change-according-to-iucn-red-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/en\/news\/emperor-penguin-and-antarctic-fur-seal-now-endangered-due-to-climate-change-according-to-iucn-red-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal now Endangered due to climate change according to IUCN Red List"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gland, Switzerland, 9 April 2026 (IUCN) \u2013 The emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal are now both Endangered, according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species\u2122. Climate change in Antarctica is leading to changes in sea-ice that are projected to cause the emperor penguin population to halve by the 2080s, while reduced food availability has already driven a 50% reduction in the Antarctic fur seal population since 2000. The southern elephant seal is also now at risk of extinction, due to disease.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Header photo: Flock of Emperor Pinguins, South Sandwich Islands \u00a9 Paul Carroll<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u2018These important findings should spur us into action across all sectors and levels of society to decisively address climate change. The declines of the emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal on the IUCN Red List are a wake-up call on the realities of climate change. As countries prepare to gather at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in May, these assessments provide essential data to inform decisions regarding this majestic continent and its awe-inspiring wildlife. Antarctica\u2019s role as our planet\u2019s \u201cfrozen guardian\u201d is irreplaceable \u2013 offering untold benefits to humans, stabilising the climate and providing refuge to unique wildlife,\u2019 said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri<\/em>) has moved from Near Threatened to Endangered on the IUCN Red List, based on projections that its population will halve by the 2080s. Satellite images indicate a loss of around 10% of the population between 2009 and 2018 alone, equating to more than 20,000 adult penguins.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The primary driver is the early break-up and loss of sea-ice, which has reached record lows since 2016. Emperor penguins require fast ice \u2013 sea-ice that is \u201cfastened\u201d to the coastline, ocean floor or grounded icebergs \u2013 as habitat for their chicks and during their moulting season, when they are not waterproof. If the ice breaks up too early, the result can be deadly. While it is challenging to convert observed tragedies \u2013 such as the collapse of a breeding colony into the sea before the chicks can swim \u2013 into population changes, population modelling considering a wide range of future climate scenarios shows that without abrupt and dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, emperor penguin populations will rapidly decline during this century. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u2018After careful consideration of different possible threats, we concluded that human-induced climate change poses the most significant threat to emperor penguins. Early sea-ice break-up in spring is already affecting colonies around the Antarctic, and further changes in sea-ice will continue to affect their breeding, feeding and moulting habitat. Emperor penguins are a sentinel species that tell us about our changing world and how well we are controlling greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change,\u2019 shared Dr Philip Trathan, member of the IUCN SSC Penguin Specialist Group who worked on the emperor penguin Red List assessment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u2018The decline of species such as the emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal shows that Antarctica is under severe pressure due to climate change, among other factors. This while Antarctica is crucial for the stability of the global climate.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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