Researchers Use Feather “Fingerprints” to Track Penguins

Researchers are about to get to know the 20,000 African penguins that live on Robben Island, South Africa in intimate detail, down to the last feather. A new computer program will use pictures of the penguins going about their daily business to identify each individual based on the distinct pattern of black spots on its belly. Each bird's markings are as unique as a human fingerprint, researchers say.