Subject: Penguin in Alaska
Date: Jul 30 10:09:08 2002
From: Jim McCoy - jfmccoy at earthlink.net


Because of its tameness, it certainly seems probable that this bird was
released, but the
incident does raise a question: what are the theoretical limitations on
penguins reaching
northern waters?

Other swimming critters are known to migrate thousands of miles in a year;
are there any
physiological restrictions that would make doing this difficult for a
penguin?

I understand that penguins have an easier time finding sufficient food in
nutrient-rich colder
waters, such as are found at far southern latitudes and in the Humboldt
current along the
Pacific coast of South America, but has there been any research to indicate
that penguin
species (and Humboldt's in particular) have a strong preference for colder
water per se,
independent of forage? If they're finding fish for whatever reason, is
there any reason they
shouldn't move with them? Or is it a thermoregulation issue? Do pockets of
cold water ever
slip north from the Galapagos? (The one place where penguins actually *do*
nip across the
equator, albeit only just.) I could imagine a penguin following such a
pocket until it reached
the California current, at which point the penguin could be in business
again. Does that
scenario make any sense?

Other birds get "lost" and appear far out of range under unusual
conditions -- why not penguins?


Jim McCoy
jfmccoy at earthlink.net
Redmond, WA


...
confirmed the ID as a Humboldt's; she said it is not uncommon at all
down there for fishermen to keep these birds onboard as pets; her
hypotheses is that the bird 'caught a ride' on some vessel to this
hemisphere and then was released; she said it would have no problem
surviving in these waters (similar temperature, forage, etc); she was
pretty emphatic that the bird did not get here on its own;
...