Cabo Frio, Brazil, July 22, 2008—A Brazilian Coast Guard officer examines a Magellanic penguin that washed up on a beach thousands of miles north from its native Patagonia.

The bird is lucky: More than 400 penguins have been found dead on beaches up and down the Brazilian coast in recent months.

Though a few dead penguins show up in Brazil ever year, scientists are puzzled by this season's carnage. A combination of overfishing, global warming, and oil spills may be to blame. (Also see: "Penguin Chicks Frozen by Global Warming?" [July 2, 2008].)

—John Roach

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