Patagonian Pumas Add Penguins to Their Menu
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Pumas in Patagonia are increasingly preying on Magellanic penguins, a change from their usual diet of grazing mammals, according to new research. #wildlife
Penguins in southern oceans face threats from marine predators such as seals and orcas. Ashore, their defense lies in large numbers. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. in Patagonia, Argentina, Magellanic penguins are now being hunted by an unexpected land-based predator: pumas.
New research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B highlights this shift. Jake Goheen, a wildlife ecologist at Iowa State University (who was not part of the study), described the research as a valuable combination of animal tracking and dietary analysis.
Goheen pointed out that pumas typically target grazing mammals rather than smaller birds like Magellanic penguins. "It’s an extraordinary example of how flexible large carnivores can be," he stated.
The presence of pumas in Patagonia declined sharply in the early 20th century due to extensive sheep farming. This absence allowed Magellanic penguins to establish large breeding colonies along the Argentinian coast, moving from their primarily oceanic island habitats. Puma conservation efforts have since reintroduced the predators to the region, leading to these new predator-prey interactions.
