Penguins may have lived in East Antarctica as far back as 14,600 years ago - 6,000 years earlier than thought - according to scientists in China.
Researchers from the State Oceanic Administration and the University of Science and Technology of China found deglacial sediment dating back 15,600 years, and sediment of penguin excrement and dirt dating back 14,600 years.
This shows that penguins immigrated there around 1,000 years after the ice sheet melted, and the population kept growing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The results are important for research into the evolution of seabird breeding grounds in polar regions, the positioning of penguin shelters during the last deglaciation and penguin migration in Antarctica, researchers said.
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