Key Facts at a Glance
- Research Team: Scientists from the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena.
- Location: King George Island, Antarctica.
- Findings: Detection of the H5N1 virus in skuas (predatory gulls).
- Danger: High risk to penguin colonies due to rapid transmission.
Jena / Antarctica (09.02.2026) – While daily life continues in Jena, scientists from the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität (FSU) are looking toward the southern end of the world with deep concern. A team from the Jena Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution has returned from an expedition with alarming results: the dangerous bird flu virus H5N1 is now spreading across Antarctica.
Dead Skuas Discovered on King George Island
At the center of the concern are findings on King George Island, an island near the northern coast of the Antarctic mainland. Christina Braun, a researcher at FSU Jena, confirmed the Jena team’s first-time detection of the virus in this specific region. While there were initial indications of the virus in the broader Antarctic region as early as October 2023, current observations point to a worsening of the situation.
During the research trip earlier this year, the scientists discovered a total of 52 dead animals. “Something is happening there,” Braun says, summarizing the situation. Skuas, also known as predatory gulls, are primarily affected. However, fatalities were also recorded among Southern Giant Petrels and Antarctic Terns. While some laboratory results are still pending, the mortality rate is already “clearly” visible.
Dark Figure Could Be Significantly Higher
The Jena experts assume that the scale of the catastrophe is far greater than the mere number of carcasses found would suggest. Markus Bernhardt-Römermann, Braun’s colleague at the University of Jena, explains the problem: there are many scavengers in the region. They often remove or eat animal carcasses so quickly that they are never registered by researchers.
“It can be assumed that many more individuals are affected than have been found,” says Bernhardt-Römermann. Added to this is the uncertainty regarding long-term ecological consequences. While there is evidence that some skuas may have already developed immunity, the risk of local populations becoming completely extinct remains.
Penguins in Danger: Is Huddling a Death Sentence?
The spread of the virus could have a particularly dramatic effect on Antarctica’s most iconic inhabitants: penguins. Their social behavior, which normally ensures their survival in the icy cold, could now become their undoing. Penguins stand extremely close together in their colonies to keep each other warm.
Since infection with H5N1 occurs through droplet infection and saliva—similar to human influenza—the virus would spread lightning-fast in such a colony. Because birds in Antarctica generally breed on the few ice-free areas—only about two percent of the continent—animal density is often high. The Jena researchers also suspect that many birds become infected in their wintering grounds along the South American coast and then carry the virus south.
Important Contribution from Jena to Climate Research
These findings once again underline the relevance of Jena’s research institutions in an international context. The observations by FSU scientists provide vital data to better understand the global migratory movements of pathogens in the wake of ecological changes. How the situation develops in the coming months remains to be seen, but the warning from Thüringen is unmistakable.