GENEVA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal have been listed as endangered species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on Thursday.
The emperor penguin has moved from "Near Threatened" to "Endangered," while the Antarctic fur seal has moved from "Least Concern" to "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
According to the IUCN, climate change in Antarctica is leading to changes in sea ice that are projected to cause the emperor penguin population to halve by the 2080s.
The organization also noted that reduced food availability has already caused the Antarctic fur seal population to decline by 50 percent since 2000. ■
