How Can Scientists Count Penguins in Antarctica?    [27-04-2012] There are many penguins in Antarctica. But do you know exactly how many penguins there are? In order to count their numbers more accurately, scientists are using satellite pictures. Recently, scientists have found seven new colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica. According to scientists, emperor penguins are far more plentiful in Antarctica than previously thought. These days, scientists are using satellite images to count the birds from space. Last week, British researchers analyzed 44 colonies of emperor penguins around the coastline of Antarctica. The satellite pictures helped them count penguins. They found that the total emperor penguin population could be around 595,000, nearly double previous estimates. The researchers at the British Antarctic Survey are excited about the discovery. “We are happy to be able to find such a large number of emperor penguins. This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space. Using satellite pictures, we can actually keep track of them as well,” said Dr. Peter Fretwell, who led the research. The study marks the first time that researchers have counted the entire population of any species by satellite in a single season. Dr. Fretwell said the same technique could also be used to count the numbers of other wild animals such as flamingos or reindeer.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)