CHASING GUANO
The Discovery of a Penguin Supercolony
From the How Nature Works series
by Helen Taylor
A photographic record of an expedition to Antarctica’s forbidding Danger Islands.
What would cause scientists to suspect that this remote chain of islands hosted a colony of penguins? “Their poop is visible from space!” marvels Taylor—as readers can see for themselves in the satellite photos that kick off this lively account of a 2015 venture that uncovered not just a typical colony of Adélie penguins, but a supercolony numbering 1.5 million…more than the Antarctic Peninsula's entire population of that species. The author recounts how the researchers navigated treacherously icy waters to reach the island group and how they made their count using cameras, clickers, and even a drone. She also describes what studies of the population (and its doo-doo) can reveal about changes in the colony’s size and diet over time, as well as the complex, ongoing campaign to have the region declared a Marine Protected Area. Human figures in the bright photos are generally too bundled up to see clearly, but their names cue some cultural and racial diversity.
A stimulating tale of how poop led to a scientific scoop.
(further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-9)