Emperor penguins listed as endangered species: IUCN

The emperor penguin has been declared an endangered species as climate change pushes the icon of Antarctica a step closer to extinction, the global authority on threatened wildlife announced on Thursday (April 9, 2026).

Its change of status from “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) underscores the existential threat for ice-dependent species as global warming profoundly reshapes the frozen continent.