King penguins struggling on a treadmill could help to save the planet.
Scientists from Birmingham University have fitted 50 of the birds with special heart-rate monitors in an experiment designed to measure global warming.
They will record how much energy the birds are using in order to feed themselves. If the data shows they are making longer trips further into the oceans to find fish, it may prove waters are warming up and climate change is taking place.
The 'guinea pig' penguins live on the Crozet Islands, in the southern Indian Ocean, about 1,500 miles north of the Antarctic.
The monitors record each penguin's heart rate, location, the surrounding pressure and hence water depth, and the temperature at the back of its throat, telling the scientists when it has swallowed a cold fish.
The problem for the scientists was working out the relationship between the penguins' heart rates and how much energy they were expending.
To do this, ten penguins were placed on treadmills so their heart rates could be measured at the same time as breathing rate - calculated by putting the treadmill in a sealed, clear plastic box and monitoring how much oxygen they used.
The treadmill was speeded up and slowed down to find out how the penguin's heart rates changed at different levels of activity.
Then their height, weight and flipper length were compared to the heart rate and energy use.
This can be compared with birds living in the wild to see how much energy they use.
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