STORY: The icy waters off Antarctica are estimated to hold up to 550 million tons of krill. These tiny shrimp-like creatures are the linchpin in the Antarctic food web, sustaining a huge number of ...

OSLO (Reuters) - Krill are shifting south towards Antarctica as the oceans warm, disrupting stocks that are eaten by penguins and whales and caught by industrial trawlers, scientists said on Monday.

Antarctic krill do not only react to external environmental influences such as light or food. They also use their internal clock to adapt to the extreme conditions of the polar environment.

The population of Antarctic krill, the favorite food of many whales, penguins, fish and seals, shifted southward during a recent period of warming in their key habitat, researchers report. The ...