5,000-year-old penguin mummies started appearing in Antarctica due to snow melting (photo)
Extremely ancient preserved penguin remains have been discovered on the icy shores of Antarctica. Some of them may be up to 5,000 years old. They have been preserved for so long due to the Antarctic cold.
According to IFLScience, in 2016, researchers came across several ancient penguin storage sites that remained extremely well preserved due to the cold conditions on the shores of the Ross Sea in eastern Antarctica.
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After radiocarbon dating, it was determined that these carcasses belong to different periods, starting from 5,000 years ago and going back to 800 years ago. The great preservation of these remains is possible due to the sub-zero temperature, which usually stop microorganisms from decomposing bodies.
Prof. Steve Emslie, a paleoecologist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, expressed his surprise, saying, "I've never seen a place like this in all the years I've done research in Antarctica."
These ancient penguin remains date back to the period between the Medieval Warm Period and the beginning of the Little Ice Age. According to Prof. Emslie, this period was too harsh for an active penguin colony to thrive as the average summer surface temperature was about -2 °C colder than today.
In recent years, temperatures in this region have risen by 2°C, leading to the melting of ice sheets and the discovery of ancient preserved penguin remains. This is the result of climate change taking place in Antarctica.
Similar problems and findings are being considered in the Arctic, where frozen creatures and other artifacts are being discovered over time as a result of global warming.
As a reminder, a rare species of carnivorous beetle, Dermestes Undulatus, which was thought to have disappeared in 2020, was discovered in the UK. These beetles feed on the flesh and skin of dead animals.
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