Researchers scanning satellite images of West Antarctica stumbled onto clusters of emperor penguins gathered on fast ice to molt, a seasonal process in which the birds shed and regrow their feathers.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Emperor penguins are seeing their habitat cut back by climate change -- with potentially deadly consequences (Richard Gill) ...

The annual "catastrophic" molt of the emperor penguin makes the birds especially vulnerable to climate change. Peter Fretwell / British Antarctic Survey Emperor penguins are uniquely adapted to life ...

Unstable sea ice is sending some penguins into Antarctica's frigid waters before the birds have a chance to regrow their protective waterproof feathers Getty Emperor penguins rely on stable sea ice ...

Emperor penguins shed all their feathers once a year, a precarious ritual that may have become deadly as climate change pushes them into shrinking patches of Antarctic sea ice, researchers said ...

Emperor penguins are seeing their habitat cut back by climate change -- with potentially deadly consequences - Copyright DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION/AFP Richard Gill ...