Australian Beach Visitors Surprised When Emperor Penguin Shows Up On Shore

Visitors at a beach in Western Australia were surprised to see an emperor penguin arrive on shore last week.

Emperor penguin / Unsplash

Ocean Beach visitors in Denmark, Australia received the surprise of a lifetime when an emperor penguin traveled nearly 2,200 miles from Antarctica to the Australian shore.

A nearby surfer, Aaron Fowler, was enjoying a day at the beach when the penguin showed up.

"It was massive, it was way bigger than a sea bird and we're like, what is that thing coming out of the water? And it kind of had a tail sticking out like a duck," said Fowler. "It stood up in the waves and just waddled straight up to us, an emperor penguin, he was probably about a meter high, and he was not shy at all. He just looked absolutely flawless."

Fowler stated that the penguin was trying to slide on his stomach, as he naturally would on the ice and snow in Antarctica. However, the penguin face-planted directly into the sand.

Emperor penguins are often the species that come to mind when people think of penguins. They are the tallest of the 18 penguin species, reaching up to 45 inches tall. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), emperors can weigh 88 pounds, though their weight commonly fluctuates throughout the year. In the wild, this species is only found in Antarctica, making this a peculiar event.

Dr. Belinda Cannell, a University of Western Australia Research Fellow, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that seeing an emperor penguin travel this far is a rarity.

"The furthest north they go from Antarctica is about 50 degrees south [latitude] from my readings and Ocean Beach is 35 degrees south, so a lot further north than what they've ever tracked emperor penguins from Antarctica before," she said.

This leaves people wondering why and how this occurred. Dr. Cannell explained that the penguin was likely following a current. As she stated, "What they tend to do is follow certain currents where they're going to find lots of different types of food. So maybe those currents have just tended to be a little bit further north towards Australia than they normally would."

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) spoke to CNN and shared that the penguin is currently malnourished and is under the care of a registered wildlife rehabilitator. The spokesperson told CNN, "The rehabilitation process is expected to take a few weeks."