Deaths in yellow-eyed penguins (<i>Megadyptes antipodes</i>) on the Otago Peninsula during the summer of 1990

Gill, Jenny; Darby, John T.

doi:10.1080/00480169.1993.35733

Cited by 36 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Its distension is not morbid and could not of itself be related to hepatitis or cholangitis, which would cause inflammation and thickening of the gall bladder. The same picture was described in fasting but not starving yellow-eyed penguins by Gill & Darby (1993). Conversely, in birds killed with full stomachs, the gall bladder is empty.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Nutritional condition was assessed from fat stores and pectoral muscle bulk. The absence of any subcutaneous fat on the trunk, and loss of pectoral muscle bulk, defined the category 'poor nutrition' (Gill & Darby 1993;Obendorf & McColl 1980). Deduction of the cause of death was assisted by ancillary information on the circumstances of recovery; for example, wet lungs and fluid-containing air sacs in a bird collected from the surf line was taken to suggest death by drowning.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Cause of death in blue penguins (Eudyptula m. minor) in North Otago, New Zealand

Hocken¹

2000

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

I necropsied 213 blue penguins (Eudyptula m. minor) collected during 1994 to 1998, mainly from Oamaru Harbour and urban areas, the remainder from sites south to Otago Peninsula. The dominant categories were malnutrition (16%), and cause of death (15%). Where malnutrition was involved, it was usually unclear whether it was the direct cause of death or the consequence of undiagnosed natural disease or infestation. Twenty five per cent of birds died from animal attacks. Aspergillosis was the commonest natural disease (3.3%). Endoparasitism was uncommon (1.3%). This study provides significant evidence of geographic variation in infestation of blue penguins.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cause of death in blue penguins (Eudyptula m. minor) in North Otago, New Zealand

Hocken¹

2000

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The concentrations are well below those believed to be toxic to birds. There are no reports of zinc toxicity in penguins, but liver concentrations up to 417 mg kg -1 dw were reported to be non-toxic to yellow-eyed penguins Megadyptes antipodes which had starved to death (Gill & Darby 1993).…”

Section: Toxicologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Health evaluation of penguins (Sphenisciformes) following mortality in the Falklands (South Atlantic)

Keymer¹,

Malcolm²,

Hunt³

et al. 2001

Dis. Aquat. Org.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the Falklands, heavy mortality of rock-hopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome occurred during the 1985-86 breeding season. Starvation was diagnosed as the primary cause of death, possibly caused by a shortage of euphausiid crustaceans (krill) due to unusual meterological conditions. 'Puffinosis' may possibly have been a contributory factor; otherwise no conclusive evidence of infectious disease or toxicosis was found and also no evidence of radioactive contamination. In the 1986-87 breeding season no unusual mortality occurred, but 99 apparently healthy penguins were examined, i.e., rockhoppers Eudyptes chrysocome syn E. crestatus, gentoos Pygoscelis papua and Magellanics Spheniscus magellanicus. Full necropsies were carried out on 54. Tissue examinations were made for cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, lead and zinc. High tissue cadmium concentrations found in healthy birds in 1987 were similar to those in penguins which died in 1986, and therefore not considered to be of pathological significance. Although there has been no repetition of the unusually hot 1985-86 breeding season in the Falklands, penguins and other seabirds have had fluctuating breeding successes since then. The precise cause, including the roles of meteorological conditions and overexploitation of some forms of prey species, is unclear.KEY WORDS: Penguins · Falklands · Puffinosis · Metals · Cadmium · Parasites · Euphausiids (Krill) Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 45: [159][160][161][162][163][164][165][166][167][168][169] 2001 Keymer (1987) diagnosed starvation as the primary cause of death of rockhoppers in 1986 and tentatively concluded that this may have been caused by a shortage of krill (euphausiid crustaceans) at the time of the penguins' post-breeding moult. Thompson (1993) found that euphausiid krill and hyperid amphipods plus small squid, notably Gonatus antarcticus, were the main constituents of the diet during egg laying, incubation and whilst rearing young. The southern summer of 1985-86 was unusually long and hot in the Falkland Islands and according to Boersma (1987) was analogous to the Pacific El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It was decided therefore to delay publication of further investigations, including toxicological results, in case the meteorological conditions were repeated in the Falklands, in the hope that it would then be possible to test the hypothesis that shortage of euphausiid crustaceans (krill) was associated with the unusually warm weather. The Pacific ENSO of 1982-83 was 'the strongest of the century' and weaker ones occurred in 1986 -87 and 1991 -93 (McPhaden 1994. A further severe one occurred in 1997-98. However, there has been no repetition of an unusually hot summer in the Falklands area since 1985-86. In addition to more frequent ENSOs possibly adversely affecting world climate, new threats to Falkland Island birds, especially penguins, have emerged. These include tourism, fires and oil exploration. In fact there was a...

show abstract

“…Serological surveys in wild penguin populations have not reported evidence of herpesviruses while testing for either gallid herpesvirus 1 (GaHV-1 or infectious laryngotracheitis virus) or gallid herpesvirus 2 (Marek's disease virus), both of which infect predominantly galliform birds (Clarke & Kerry 1993, Karesh et al 1999, Duignan 2001, Miller et al 2001, Travis et al 2006, Smith et al 2008, Barbosa & Palacios 2009. Lesions suggestive of herpesvirus have also not been recorded in studies on mortality of wild penguins (Crockett & Kearns 1975, Obendorf & McColl 1980, Gill & Darby 1993, Keymer et al 2001, Uhart et al 2004). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herpesvirus-like respiratory infection in African penguins Spheniscus demersus admitted to a rehabilitation centre

Parsons¹,

Gous²,

Wilpe³

et al. 2015

Dis. Aquat. Org.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rehabilitation is an important strategy for the conservation of the Endangered African penguin Spheniscus demersus, and disease has been raised as a concern in the management of the species, both in the wild and in rehabilitation centres. We report 8 cases of herpesvirus-like respiratory infection in African penguin chicks undergoing rehabilitation between 2010 and 2013 at a facility in Cape Town, South Africa. Infection was confirmed through the identification of viral inclusions in the tracheal epithelium and demonstration of particles consistent with herpesvirus by electron microscopy, whereas virus isolation in eggs, serology and PCR testing failed to detect the virus. Only penguin chicks were affected; they were in poor body condition, and in 2 cases infection occurred prior to admission to the rehabilitation centre. The role played by the herpesvirus-like infection in the overall respiratory disease syndrome is uncertain, due to identification of lesions in only a small proportion of the chicks as well as to the occurrence of other concurrent pathological processes. Further studies are advised to characterise the specific virus involved through the development of sensitive diagnostic methods and to clarify the epidemiology and significance of these infections in wild African penguins.

show abstract

Deaths in yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) on the Otago Peninsula during the summer of 1990

Cited by 36 publications

References 10 publications

Cause of death in blue penguins (Eudyptula m. minor) in North Otago, New Zealand

Cause of death in blue penguins (Eudyptula m. minor) in North Otago, New Zealand

Health evaluation of penguins (Sphenisciformes) following mortality in the Falklands (South Atlantic)

Herpesvirus-like respiratory infection in African penguins Spheniscus demersus admitted to a rehabilitation centre

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About