Scientists who have been trying to find a good way to track Emperor penguin colonies at the South Pole have finally stumbled upon -- or stepped in -- the most awesome method:
follow the poop.
Funny thing about penguin poop: it can be seen from space! When the penguins stay on the ice to breed, they remain in the colonies for around eight months, which means massive amounts of penguin guano. The reddish-brown poop is concentrated in areas near the colony and stains the ice, and the stains are large and dark enough to be seen on satellite images.
"Using satellite data," MSNBC reports, "the scientists found 10 new colonies of penguins, six colonies that had moved from previously mapped positions to new spots and another six that seemed to have disappeared."
"The research is 'incredibly useful,' because the only time to see emperors are during breeding in winter when weather makes it nearly impossible to get to the colonies, said longtime penguin researcher William Fraser, who wasn't involved in the study. Fraser noted that salty penguin guano 'over time will corrode your boots,' adding that he has lost nearly a dozen pairs to poop in 35 years of penguin research."
