NASA satellite images of poop lead researchers to penguin 'supercolony'

Ashley May | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Supercolony' of 1.5 million Adelie Penguins discovered from space A new “supercolony” of Adelie Penguins has been discovered in the Danger Islands of Antarctica, causing scientists to celebrate and breathe a sigh of relief.

A previously unknown "supercolony" of penguins has been discovered off of the Antarctic Peninsula's northern tip.

The more than 1.5 million birds were found after NASA satellite imagery of the area showed large amounts of penguin poop, also known as guano, in 2014.

Penguin activity there went largely unnoticed because of how difficult it is to get to the appropriately-named Danger Islands. Even in the summer, the ocean surrounding the area is packed with thick sea ice, making ship travel nearly impossible, the BBC reports.

When researchers were able to secure a safe trip to the Danger Islands, they found one of the largest groups of Adélie penguins in the world and the largest population on the Antarctic Peninsula, according to a discovery report published Friday in Scientific Reports. Adélie Penguins, which can live between 11 to 20 years and have been known to dive as deep as 575 feet, are longtime residents of the Antarctic continent.

But the newly discovered penguins, counted using drones, thriving across Heroína Island and Beagle Island was a total surprise.

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"They also appear to have not suffered the population declines found along the western side of Antarctic Peninsula that are associated with recent climate change," Mike Polito, one of the researchers from Louisiana State University, said in a statement.

The major discovery could impact future conservation measures.

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