According to The Guardian, the U.S. government announced on Oct. 25 local time that the emperor penguin is on the endangered species list due to melting Antarctic sea ice caused by global warming.

There are no emperor penguins in the U.S. mainland, but studies have concluded that if the world does not reduce carbon emissions, emperor penguins fear extinction. This listing will promote the conservation of the emperor penguin in the United States.

The emperor penguin lives in Antarctica and is the tallest and largest penguin in the world, standing up to four feet tall. Emperor penguins are known for their special parenting methods, in which males and females take turns protecting their young and then take turns foraging for food.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says emperor penguins are facing extinction due to disappearing sea ice, and "climate change is having a profound impact on species around the world, and addressing it is a top government priority."

Sea ice is essential to the penguins' survival. The waters around and beneath sea ice are important feeding areas for penguins, where they feed on fish and crustaceans, and the sea ice itself is an essential resting place for penguins, who can use it to escape predators.

However, the loss of sea ice due to global warming threatens the habitat of these penguins, and krill, an important food source for penguins, is becoming less available due to ocean acidification.

Although there are no emperor penguins living in the wild on U.S. soil, the new endangered species list will boost conservation of the species in the United States. The government will reduce industrial harvesting of penguin food species and review sources that contribute to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. government has previously listed polar bears, ringed seals and various corals as endangered species due to the threat of the climate crisis.

Shaye Wolfe, director of climate science at the U.S. Center for Biological Diversity, said, "This is also a warning that the survival of penguins depends on our government taking strong action now to reduce global warming caused by fossil fuels."

Melting glaciers in Antarctica are destroying emperor penguin habitat in recent years, and the population of emperor penguins in Antarctica's Geological Islands has declined by nearly 50 percent since the 1970s.

In 2016, more than 10,000 young emperor penguins drowned because they couldn't swim when sea ice broke up prematurely in Halley Bay.

Researchers believe that by the end of the century, an ecological catastrophe will result in a 99% reduction in the total number of emperor penguins if the Earth's carbon emissions are not drastically reduced.