Overview
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated its Red List to move both species into the Endangered category, which sits two steps from extinction.
- Satellite studies found about a 10% drop in emperor penguins between 2009 and 2018, more than 20,000 adults lost, with models warning the population could halve by the 2080s if sea ice keeps shrinking.
- Emperor penguins need fixed coastal sea ice to breed and to molt, and early ice breakups have caused entire colonies to fail before chicks can swim.
- Antarctic fur seals have fallen by more than half since 1999, from about 2.19 million mature animals to 944,000 in 2025, as warming waters and less sea ice shift krill into different areas and depths.
- The update also flags strain on other southern marine mammals, including southern elephant seals hit by highly pathogenic avian influenza, signaling wider food‑web risks that will factor into upcoming Antarctic policy talks.