On September 17, 2021, more than 60 African penguins were killed in their habitat, which is undoubtedly worse for the already endangered African penguin family.
Who is the perpetrator of this massacre?
How did he carry out this series of criminal activities?
Now, Curious Meow takes everyone together to restore the case process.
01
The scene of the crime
This serious case did not occur in a cold Antarctic glacier or in an aquarium in a warm country.
The crime scene is located in Cape Town, the capital of South Africa. With four distinct seasons, it is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the most famous tourist destination in South Africa.
Cape Town
02
Victims
Are there penguins in such a warm place as South Africa?
The victim of the case was a local endemic spotted ring penguin. Unlike most penguins, these penguins are mainly distributed on the west coast of Africa, and Namibia and South Africa are their home.
One of the protagonists of Penguins of Madagascar, the "Rookie", is based on African penguins.
Spot-billed ring penguins are about 70 cm tall and generally weigh about 2-5 kg, and are medium in the penguin family.
The dorsal feathers of the spotted penguin are black, the thorax and abdomen are white, and there are a few black spots and markings.
pixabay
Don't underestimate these markings, each spotted penguin is unique, just like our fingerprints.
Unlike other penguins, the spotted-billed ring penguin also has a horseshoe-shaped white broadband on its head that wraps around the chin to its beak to the eyes, and a horseshoe-shaped black broadband runs through the chest.
They have glands on their eyes, and the fair naked skin will turn bright pink under very hot conditions, because the body temperature rises, and more blood will flow through the gland, thus achieving a cooling effect.
In 1910, the number of wild spotted ring penguins was estimated at 1.5 million, however, by the 20th century, their numbers had plummeted by 90%, and the wanton capture by humans and the destruction of their habitats almost once pushed them to extinction.
In 2018, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species officially listed the penguin as endangered. Scientists estimate that there are currently only about 42,000 adult spotted ring penguins left worldwide.
03
culprit
The culprit responsible for this tragedy is called the Cape Bee, which is also an endemic species in the region.
wiki
They are the heinous "bee killers" in the eyes of local beekeepers.
Because the worker bees of cape bees will lay eggs that can develop into female bees even if they do not have a tail. That is, they can complete self-cloning.
Not only are these bees "lazy" but also keen to expand their populations, using their reproductive advantages to encroach on other hives. Cape bees lay eggs in the hives of other bees and release pheromones to simulate queen bees, causing chaos and fighting each other, and eventually the queen will be killed.
In short, once the cape bee invades the colony, the last thing left for the beekeeper is a weak and eventually dead bee colony.
04
Closing statement
Based on the results of the autopsy and the investigation report at the scene of the crime, the researchers deduced that a group of cape bees suddenly attacked the penguin colony to cause the tragedy.
It is also the first time humans have found a case of a large-scale attack on penguins by bees.
As for why cape bee colonies attack penguins? How did they sting the penguins?
It may be that the hive has been disturbed, the swarm has left the hive and fled around, and this group of unlucky penguins happened to be standing on the bee's escape route, and the frightened bees mistaken for intruders, swarmed and attacked, causing this senseless disaster.
However, for bees, penguins are behemoths, and even the weakest part of their body, around the eyes, only one or two attacks can not completely defeat the enemy.
When bees attack enemies for self-preservation, they release both venom and alarm pheromones through a stinging needle. Their alarm pheromones not only locate enemies, but also attract a large number of companions to sting attacks on invading enemies. Under the intensive attack of the swarm, the toxin gradually accumulates in the intruder's body, and even the most powerful predator will die.
Scientists believe that this is most likely the cause of death of penguins. To further identify and rule out other lethal factors, experts are carefully conducting disease and toxicological analyses of penguin carcasses. In any case, it is sincerely hoped that such an accident will not happen again.
Curiosity is a general children's magazine in all fields, each issue of the magazine includes four major sections, covering five fields of science and technology, nature, history, culture and literature. Curiosity is also one of the most popular children's general studies magazines in China.