Galápagos penguins have been listed under the "endangered" status since the last decade with the World Wildlife Organization. There are only 2,000 of its kind in existence, and at one point, the birds' population dropped to 500. These penguins are considered one of the rarest in the world.
However, new research conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is bringing new hope to the fate of the Galápagos penguins.
It looks like the species has benefited from the shifts in the wind and ocean currents in the last 30 years, which has been brought by climate change. As water increased the size of the habitat, it became a most ideal spot for foraging food and breeding.
As of 2014, at least 1,000 birds have been added to its population, the study said in a news release, and this population growth may go on as climate change also continues to affect wind patterns and ocean currents.
However, study authors also note that it's still possible environmental conditions could revert back to its earlier state, which could then will lead to a decrease in the penguins' population.
"The penguins are the innocent bystanders experiencing feast or famine depending on what the Equatorial Undercurrent is doing from year to year," said Kristopher Karnauskas, one of the researchers.
The researchers are hoping that their findings will be able to help with conservation efforts being undertaken for the Galápagos penguins, particularly in the northern coasts of Isabela and Fernandina, where many of the species are now feeding and breeding.
"With climate change, there are a lot of new and increasing stresses on ecosystems, but biology sometimes surprises us," Karnauskas further said. "There might be places-little outposts-where ecosystems might thrive just by coincidence."
The findings were published in full in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
