Cameras mounted on penguins reveal new insight into underwater life

The footage comes courtesy of the Adélie penguins in Terre Adélie, Antarctica

Research into penguins has plunged to new depths with the release of video that provides a glimpse of life beneath the Antarctic ice.

Penguins can be seen diving through the freezing waters at rapid speed, as viewers are given an insight into feeding time for the aquatic birds.

The video was recorded filmed by French and Japanese national Antarctic programmes with the help of the Adélie penguins of Terre Adélie, whose population was estimated to consist of just under four million breeding pairs last year.

An Adélie Penguin (Rex)

Although current projections look positive for the Adélie penguin, having more than doubled in population over the last 20 years, its long-term future is far from certain.

Antarctica continues to bear significant effects of climate change, experiencing altered sea ice patterns and melting of its great ice shelves.

According to Heather Lynch, Assistant Professor of ecology at Stony Brook University in New York, the Adélie penguin has proven itself to be an effective indicator for the effects of climate change on the region .

“The Adélie Penguin is an excellent bellwether of climate change and Southern Ocean fisheries,” she told Birds News.

“We have a much more nuanced understanding now of how climate change may be affecting these birds. In some cases, climate change may actually increase their populations, particularly in areas along the Ross Sea where we have glacial retreat that leaves them more space on which to breed.”

The cameras used weighed between 15 and 22 grams (0.5 and 0.8oz) and were recovered when the birds returned to their nests.

(PA Video)

Rod Downie, polar programme manager for WWF-UK, said the high level of interest in last year's John Lewis Christmas advert, featuring Monty the penguin, helped support the research.

"Monty-mania last Christmas helped us to support this important scientific research using new technology which gives us incredible insight into where and how penguins feed," he said.

"Ultimately, this will help to safeguard the future of these amazing birds, which are threatened by predicted climate change."

Additional reporting by Press Association