Biometrics picks up the penguins

The problem of keeping track of thousands of near-identical African penguins may have been solved.

Researchers have developed surveillance technology that can identify individual birds and then monitor them over long periods of time.

The team says the system will boost our understanding of the animals; it could even help ecologists solve the mystery of how long penguins live.

The researchers say it could also track other species, from cheetahs to sharks.

The technology is on display at the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition.