Polyamorous little penguins living on Phillip Island, off Australia’s southern coast, are having so much sex there are now more than 40,000 of them — and it is all thanks to climate change.

Key points:

    Phillip Island’s little penguin colony is growing as rising sea temperatures lead to more fish
    With more energy, the animals are mating twice each season, often with different partners
    Climate scientists warn it is important to look at the full picture of events in the ecosystem

As sea surface temperatures have increased, so too has the number of fish swimming in the surrounding coastal waters.

Phillip Island Nature Parks marine scientist and Monash University associate professor Andre Chiaradia said the influx of food meant the “opportunistic” little penguins had more time, and energy, to mate.