Penguins and sea-leopards (whatever they are) live only at the South Pole. Polar bears live only at the North Pole. (and by that I mean the general Arctic/Antarctic areas). Could penguins thrive in the Arctic? Has anyone ever tried to bring them there (where they would compete with puffins,
etc.)? Other than a 12,000 mile voyage, what’s stopping them from inhabiting both polar areas? Would this be a bad idea, introducing new lifeforms into a new environment (like zebra mussels, kudzu and starlings)?
Thanks!
TD
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke
I’m sure a polar bear would LOVE to have penguins introduced to the Artic. Then the bear could introduce the penguin to his intestines.
What’s the main source of a penguin’s diet? Do the fish they eat in the Antarctic exist in the Arctic?. Also, isn’t weather in the Arctic a little less severe than Antarctica? Maybe that would be a factor.
Penguins are not exclusive to “The South Pole.” They can be found as far north as the equator, in the Galapagos Islands. The Humboldt/Peruvian Current brings very cold water into this region.
Penguins, as a species, would not likely survive a transplant experiment to the arctic regions. There are a lot of complex factors to a species’ ecological needs, many of which are hard to predict, and ever harder to control. Of course, some species take hold very rapidly. We consider them to be “exotics” or “non-native invasive species.” A good example is the nutria.
The key is to be able to fit into an ecological niche. This involves many things; for example, interspecific competition (including predation). If there is an empty niche that a species can take advantage of, then it will survive. If not, no survival. For penguins, the presence of arctic foxes might be a factor. They would eat the eggs. As mentioned earlier, diet factors might come into play. These are just a couple of guesses of the top of my head, but I’m sure you get my point.