UK university invents penguin tracker

The Penguin Recognition System, which was created by Professor Peter Barham at Bristol University, recognises the unique markings on African penguins, allowing individuals to be identified and monitored, according to the BBC.

Professor Barham revealed that previous ways of studying penguin populations involved attaching metal identity tags to the birds, which is time consuming, prone to error and can cause harm to the animals.

It means we can track penguins out in the wild, in real time and with real accuracy

Professor Peter Barham

Bristol University

To develop an automatic system, the expert created software which looks at photos of feathers on the birds' chests and uses this to record data on their movements.

He told the news provider: "It means we can track penguins out in the wild, in real time and with real accuracy.”

"The information we will get is going to be enormous, and there are questions we can answer that nobody has even thought of before.

Professor Barham also suggested the camera and software could be used to track other animals with unique markings, such as cheetahs or whale sharks.

On his website, the professor, who specialises in polymer physics, reveals he has a particular interest in penguins and has previously designed plastic flipper bands for the monitoring of the birds.