Counting Penguins From Space

Story by Terry Carter

How many Emperor Penguins are there in Antarctica?
In the past, answering that mysterious ecological question required some guesswork since the animals live in such a harsh environment. Previous estimates put the population at 350 thousand. But last week, researchers announced that there are almost twice as many Emperor Penguins in Antarctica than previously thought – nearly 600 thousand.
How do we know?
Michelle LaRue is a Phd student in conservation biology at the University of Minnesota and the co-author of the new study.
She talked with KFAI's Terry Carter on The Takeaway.