<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > 63 African penguins in South Africa were stung to death by bees</h1>
On September 17, members of the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds were making daily trips to the national park when they found the carcasses of a total of 63 penguins on boulder beaches near Cape Town!
After an emergency injury test, the conservators found that the causes of death of these penguins were the same, and their bodies were covered with many bee stings. These penguins actually died of bee venom! This bee attack is the first time on record.
Dr Alison Cork, a marine biologist at the National Parks Service in South Africa, also wonders about this, because bees and African penguins usually coexist in harmony, and the two do not violate the river water. In order to solve the puzzle, the conservators conducted a multi-faceted search and research.
Let's first look at the two creatures in the case.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" > African penguins</h1>
African penguins, also known as blackfoot penguins, are found only off the southwest coast of Africa, where they are spread across 24 different islands, known as Penguin Island. Yes, there are penguins in Africa too. But there is nothing magical about this, and biological subspecies in different regions can adapt to different regional ecological environments.
African penguins, for example, regulate their body temperature through the pink skin above their eyes. If penguins feel too hot, they will deliver blood to the skin above the eyes, where the skin is thin and effective in dissipating heat, and because it is thin, the skin will appear pink.
They are advocates of monogamy, having only one mate in their lifetime and laying 1-2 eggs per breeding period. With such a slow breeding efficiency, the number of African penguins is not destined to be too large. They play an important role as intermediaries in ecosystems, with predators such as shark seals feeding on them, and they also feeding on smaller fish such as anchovies and sardines, which were originally relatively stable ecosystems, but since humans entered the era of industrialization, trouble has followed.
Beginning in the 1760s, as human societies made great strides, African penguins faced food shortages caused by competition with local fisheries and rising ocean temperatures that kept fish out of their normal range of activity, and 60,000 tourists a year constantly disturbed their lives, and locals even stole their eggs to eat or sell. Compared to more than 100 years ago, the population of African penguins has dropped by 95%, and they are listed as critically endangered, and scientists predict that the species will be completely extinct by 2026!
The massive decline in African penguins is yet another indication that human behavior on the planet could have a significant impact on a species that once flourished, and that in another 5 years, many people may not be able to witness this amazing species in person.
Then this incident killed 63 birds in one breath, it was too difficult... The tragedy was caused by a local endemic bee, the Cape Bee.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="24" > cape bees</h1>
Cape bees are a subspecies of bees that are mainly distributed in the Cape Town region of the west coast of the Republic of South Africa, and they are indeed not ordinary bees, surrounded by many mysteries and stories.
First of all, they are actually the original variant of the killer bee, this fierce bee can not only kill ordinary bees but also kill killer bees, is the "star" of the local beekeeping industry in South Africa. They used to be only distributed in the cape area, so the threat is still relatively small, but now they are gradually spreading outwards, for reasons so far.
Second, they don't necessarily have queen bees in their populations, and the worker bees responsible for spawning have a large number of ovarian tubes and well-developed fertilized sacs, but scientists have found that they don't need to be fertilized to lay eggs! Some eggs will develop, some eggs will not, and some queen bees will even be produced by these worker bees, which is really strange. And these spawning worker bees are protected by other bees in the population.
Although they are fierce and reproductive, they are still an important part of the ecosystem, and they generally do not disturb other species.
So what happened to this incident?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" Data-track="38" > where did it start? </h1>
After an autopsy, conservators found that the African penguins had stings above their eyes and flippers. As we said above, they have thin skin above their eyes for heat dissipation, no feathers covered here, and relatively few feathers on their fin-like limbs, so they are targeted. The worst part was that an African penguin was stung 27 times...
Scientists speculate that cape bees do not actively sting unless provoked. Although they are more aggressive than the average bee, they will not provoke a nameless war. It is only possible that one nest or hive in the area was disturbed, causing a large number of cape bees to flee the nest and rush everywhere in anger, and they just happened to encounter a group of poor African penguins, so they instinctively regarded it as an enemy.
Despite the pandemic, tourism in South Africa has not been closed, and locals still collect honey from penguin eggs and cape bees. A single mistake can lead to what scientists speculate about.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="45" > postscript</h1>
The various units in the ecosystem are inextricably linked, they don't have as many complex emotions as humans, and each unit strives to play its role. If one of the characters is suddenly abnormal, it can be basically concluded that it is disturbed by human activities.
The topic of ecological protection should not be left to only some people to complete, but should be participated by all people. But to say this now is simply a beautiful thing, and I know that it is impossible to achieve it in the short term.
Now we can only hope that these magical creatures will survive a little longer.