Researchers Baffled at Rare Sighting of Antarctic Penguin in Australian Beach. It Swam 2,200 Miles Away From Home

In a rare occurrence, an emperor penguin traveled from its icy Antarctic habitat to land on a beach in Western Australia. The sighting of the young flightless bird waddling around on Ocean Beach in Denmark, Western Australia following a tip-off by a local was reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A researcher from the University of Western Australia said this unusual incident marks the furthest north a penguin has ever been recorded in the past.

First-ever visit from an emperor penguin so far North

Aaron Fowler from Denmark encountered the emperor penguin on Friday afternoon while on his way to surf with his friend and their children at Ocean Beach. Estimated to be less than a year old and around a meter tall, Fowler described the Antarctic visitor as “massive” and bigger than an average sea bird. Dr. Belinda Cannell, a research fellow at the university confirmed that it was the first time a penguin had been spotted in Australia. The bird probably swam 2,200 miles away from its Antarctic home, as per CNN. Dr. Cannell said, “The tracked ones have never reached this far.” As per her observations, penguins usually travel 50 degrees south in latitude, whereas Ocean Beach is 35 degrees south. 

Even though the sighting does not sum up to previous studies, Dr. Cannell suggested the possible explanation could be that the emperor penguin was following a current in search of food. "What they tend to do is follow certain currents where they're going to find lots of different types of food. So maybe those currents have just tended to be a little bit further north towards Australia than they normally would,” she theorized. While the penguin is under the care of a wildlife expert, it is not normal for the Antarctic species to travel as far as Australia. In the wake of global warming and melting sea ice, the World Wildlife Foundation fears three-quarters of breeding colonies from the polar regions are threatened by the crises. 

Local describes the rare encounter with the penguin

Shocked by the initially unidentified creature popping out of the water, Fowler and his companions noticed a tail sticking out of it that looked similar to a duck’s. He said, "It stood up in the waves and just waddled straight up to us, an emperor penguin, he was probably about a meter high, and he was not shy at all. He just looked absolutely flawless." The Denmark resident acknowledged being privy to aquatic wildlife at the beach, which is situated 430 kilometers south of Perth. But a penguin was unanticipated given the hot temperatures of the country. 

The children, he recalled, were enthralled by the mighty bird’s presence. However, Fowler understood its dilemma as he revealed that the penguin might have mistaken the white sand for snow. The local said, "He tried to do like a slide on his on his belly, thinking it was snow I guess, and just face-planted in the sand and stood up and shook all the sand off." Emperor penguins are endemic to Antarctica and exclusively reside in the Southern Hemisphere. They are the mightiest of the 18 penguin species and an adult may be as tall as 1.3 meters and weigh around 88 pounds, per CNN.