Navigation Links
'Naked' penguins baffle experts
Date:4/8/2011

Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Washington, and other groups are grappling with a wildlife mystery: Why are some penguin chicks losing their feathers?

The appearance of "naked" penguinsafflicted with what is known as feather-loss disorderin penguin colonies on both sides of the South Atlantic in recent years has scientists puzzled as to what could be causing the condition.

A study on the disorder appears in a recent edition of the journal Waterbirds. The authors of the paper are: Olivia J. Kane, Jeffrey R. Smith, and P. Dee Boersma of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Washington; Nola J. Parsons and Vanessa Strauss of the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds; and Pablo Garcia-Borboroglu and Cecilia Villanueva of Centro Nacional Patagnico.

"Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species," said Boersma, who has conducted studies on Magellanic penguins for more than three decades.

The feather-loss disorder first emerged in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006, when researchers for the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) first observed the disorder in African (or black-footed) penguins in a rehabilitation center. During that year, approximately 59 percent of the penguin chicks at the facility lost their feathers, followed by 97 percent of the chicks at the facility in 2007, and 20 percent of the chicks in 2008. Chicks with feather-loss disorder, it was discovered, took longer to grow to a size deemed suitable for release into the wild. The chicks eventually began growing new feathers.

One the other side of the South Atlantic, researchers from WCS and the University of Washington observed feather-loss disorder in the chicks of wild Magellanic penguins
'/>"/>

Contact: John Delaney
jdelaney@wcs.org
718-220-3275
Wildlife Conservation Society
Source:Eurekalert  

1

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. New Naked Scientists series investigates our oceans
2. Penguins and sea lions help produce new atlas
3. Penguins marching into trouble
4. A happy new year for penguins
5. Nomad people baffle with good health in spite of malnourishment
6. NYU Langone experts present advances at American Association of Neurological Surgeons Meeting
7. NYU Cancer Institute experts present at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011
8. Smell and taste experts at international conference -- April 13-17, 2011
9. Data suggest liver experts should take care when prescribing novel antiviral HCV drugs
10. Managing municipal waste: Experts discuss options for converting our solid waste to energy
11. India releases tiger numbers as experts convene
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
'Naked' penguins baffle experts
(Date:5/24/2013)... have focused among other factors on drugs that ... the accumulation of A-beta that causes the known plaques in ... of A-beta is APP. Alessia Soldano and Bassem Hassan (VIB/KU ... the fruit-fly version of APP in the brain ... "We have discovered that APPL ensures that brain cells form ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... to be the world,s most popular fruit, can be ... with purple GM varieties. , "Working with GM ... the addition of a specific compound, allows us to ... Professor Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre. , ... better flavour, health and shelf life characteristics because even ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory ... of Technology, have received a $4 million grant ... at Emory University (Health and Exposome Research Center: ... exposome-based center grant awarded in the United States. ... the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):A new strategy required in the search for Alzheimer's drugs? 2The world's favorite fruit only better-tasting and longer-lasting 2Emory, Georgia Tech receive first human exposome center grant in US 2Emory, Georgia Tech receive first human exposome center grant in US 3
... banana and plantain, staple foods for millions of the ... an international team of scientists aims to change that, ... at the University of California, Davis. The project ... the NSF-BREAD (Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development) program, ...
... of new names in algae, fungi, and plants accepted by ... that is being published simultaneously or will be published soon ... co-authored by Sandra Knapp (London), John McNeill (Edinburgh) and Nicholas ... to the Code and some ideas for best ...
... like drinking milk as a teen could have a long-term ... to new research in this month,s issue of the ... Researchers found that milk-drinking teens, were also likely to be ... a 43 percent lower risk for type 2 diabetes compared ...
Cached Biology News:Plant breeding revolution for cassava, banana 2Plant breeding revolution for cassava, banana 3Revolutionary changes to the Botanical Code published in 16 journals and 5 languages 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... Wis. , May 23, 2013 ... researcher, developer, and marketer of over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal ... its research opinion on the company based on ... , Non-Prescription, All Natural Product to ... the Product Outperforms #1 Prescription Competitor , ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... The maker community is a contemporary ... They focus on learning practical skills while applying them ... bringing their ideas to life via crowdfunding. A subgroup ... making projects using biology. Glowing Plant has worked for ... them glow with bioluminescence genes, and has now pursued ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... SAN MARINO, Calif. , May 23, 2013 ... announces today a strategic alliance with DAK Renewable ... increase the corn oil yield. VG Energy is ... Inc. (OTC Pink: VGLS). VG Energy,s ... pathways to increase the oil yield in plants, ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 Virobay, Inc. today announced ... has reached an important milestone, as Virobay has now ... a selective cathepsin S inhibitor.   The ... randomized, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, ... healthy adults. "The initiation of this Phase ...
Breaking Biology Technology:PuraMed BioScience (PMBS) Issued Alert Based on Market Cap of $721,756 2PuraMed BioScience (PMBS) Issued Alert Based on Market Cap of $721,756 3Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home 2VG Energy Enters into a Strategic Alliance with DAK Renewable Research for LipidMax Field Trials 2VG Energy Enters into a Strategic Alliance with DAK Renewable Research for LipidMax Field Trials 3Virobay, Inc. initiates a Phase 1 Trial of VBY-036, a compound intended for the treatment of neuropathic pain 2Virobay, Inc. initiates a Phase 1 Trial of VBY-036, a compound intended for the treatment of neuropathic pain 3
... conjunction with,CorVel Corporation,s (Nasdaq: CRVL ) quarterly earnings release, CorVel will,be ... Tuesday, August 5th at 11:30 am Eastern Time., Event: ... Dan Starck, President and CEO ... 11:30 am Eastern Time, Tuesday, August ...
... Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer,Research Center have received ... Genome Research Institute to better understand the genetic,and ... is one of,four U.S. research institutes to receive ... The Hutchinson Center project, led by biostatistician and ...
... MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J., July 17 National Stem,Cell Holding, ... owned,subsidiary Proteoderm, Inc. is exhibiting at the 16th ... in Washington, DC on July,17 -- 19, 2008. ... speak as a,scientific keynote panelist. Dr. Steiner will ...
Cached Biology Technology:CorVel Corporation Announces Earnings Release Webcast 2Hutchinson Center Receives $7.6 Million Federal Grant to Study How Genetic Variations Influence Risk of Common Diseases 2Hutchinson Center Receives $7.6 Million Federal Grant to Study How Genetic Variations Influence Risk of Common Diseases 3National Stem Cell Holding, Inc. (Ticker NHGI) Subsidiary Proteoderm, Inc. Debuts Cosmoceutical Line at the 2008 World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine 2
This monoclonal antibody recognizes the light chain of human Factor XII and at 100 nM inhibits 50% of Factor XII activity. It may be used in ELISA to detect human Factor XII and in coagulation assay...
Chicken polyclonal to DCTD ( Abpromise for all tested applications). Antigen: Full length protein (Human) Entrez GeneID: 1635 Swiss Protein ID: P32321...
Mouse monoclonal [SPM325] to Xanthine Oxidase, prediluted ( Abpromise for all tested applications). Antigen: C terminal 358 amino acid fragment of human xanthine oxidase. Entrez Gene ID: 749...
Mouse monoclonal [2G1] to Vancomycin ( Abpromise for all tested applications)....
Biology Products: