Where are the Danger Islands?

Off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula

What first revealed the colony from space?

Guano stains in satellite images

How did scientists count the birds in 2015?

With drones and on-the-ground surveys

Why had the colony stayed unknown?

Thick sea ice made the islands hard to reach

Why does the find matter?

It helps scientists track penguin changes

Danger Islands Quiz: The Adélie Supercolony Found From Space

This Danger Islands quiz sails to a remote cluster of islands off the Antarctic Peninsula. Play 10 interactive questions on a supercolony of Adélie penguins, guano stains spotted in satellite images, a 2015 expedition with drones, a count published in 2018, heavy sea ice that kept scientists away, pebble nests and the explorer's wife behind the Adélie name.

Start Danger Islands Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Place
Where are the Danger Islands?
Penguin
Which penguins form the supercolony there?
Clue
What first revealed the colony from space?
Drones
How did scientists count the birds in 2015?
Year
When was the count published?
Size
Roughly how many breeding pairs were counted?
Why
Why had the colony stayed unknown?
Nests
What do Adélie penguins build nests from?
Name
Whose name does the Adélie penguin honor?
Meaning
Why does the find matter?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where are the Danger Islands?
Answer: Off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula
They lie in the Weddell Sea.
Q2: Which penguins form the supercolony there?
Answer: Adélie penguins
They are small and black and white.
Q3: What first revealed the colony from space?
Answer: Guano stains in satellite images
Penguin droppings stain the rocks.
Q4: How did scientists count the birds in 2015?
Answer: With drones and on-the-ground surveys
Drone images were stitched together.
Q5: When was the count published?
Answer: 2018
It surprised researchers.
Q6: Roughly how many breeding pairs were counted?
Answer: About 750,000
That is around 1.5 million birds.
Q7: Why had the colony stayed unknown?
Answer: Thick sea ice made the islands hard to reach
Few ships could get close.
Q8: What do Adélie penguins build nests from?
Answer: Pebbles
Stones lift eggs above meltwater.
Q9: Whose name does the Adélie penguin honor?
Answer: A French explorer's wife
Dumont d'Urville named the land after her.
Q10: Why does the find matter?
Answer: It helps scientists track penguin changes
Some other colonies have declined.

A Supercolony Seen From Space

The Danger Islands lie off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Weddell Sea. Thick sea ice made them hard to reach, so scientists knew little about them until satellite images showed large guano stains, the droppings of many penguins, on the rocks.

In 2015 an expedition reached the islands and counted the birds with drones and ground surveys, stitching images together. The results, published in 2018, revealed about 750,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins, around 1.5 million birds, one of the largest colonies known.

Adélie penguins build nests from pebbles, which lift eggs above meltwater. They were named after Adèle, wife of French explorer Dumont d'Urville. The discovery helps scientists track how penguin populations are changing as some other colonies decline.

What This Quiz Teaches

Polar fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the islands are
How the colony was found
How birds were counted
How big the colony is
Why it matters

Did You Know?

Pebbles are sometimes stolen between neighbors.
Krill is the main penguin food.
The islands are protected areas.
Satellites now track many colonies.
Adélies are excellent swimmers.