GALAPAGOS PENGUIN

The Galapagos Penguin

The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin species that lives north of the equator — a survivor that somehow found its niche in the cold currents flowing around these volcanic islands. But climate change is unmaking that survival. El Niño events, which warm the ocean currents that bring the penguins' food, are becoming more frequent and more intense.

The Galapagos penguin's story is a microcosm of what's happening to ocean life worldwide. These small penguins — the second smallest in the world — depend on upwelling currents that bring cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep. When El Niño strikes, those currents weaken or reverse. Fish move to cooler waters. Penguins starve.

The 1982-83 El Niño devastated the Galapagos penguin population, reducing it by 77%. It took decades to recover. Now, with El Niño events intensifying due to climate change, the next big one could push the Galapagos penguin past the point of no return.