Penguin chicks, that is. Scientists are baffled as to what may be causing a large number of young penguins to lose their feathers:
"Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species," said report author P. Dee Boersma of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Boersma has been studying Magellanic penguins for more than three decades and says the feather-loss disorder first emerged in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006 among a group of African (or black-footed) penguins. During that year, approximately 59 percent of the penguin chicks lost their feathers, followed by 97 percent of the chicks in 2007, and 20 percent of the chicks in 2008. [...]The researchers say pathogens, thyroid disorders, nutrient imbalances or genetics could be to blame. "We need to learn how to stop the spread of feather-loss disorder, as penguins already have problems with oil pollution and climate variation," concluded Boersma. "It's important to keep disease from being added to the list of threats they face."
::rimshot::
Thankyuhverymuuuch, I'll be here all week. Try the veal and tip your waitress.
Headlines like these, the jokes just write themselves