An emperor penguin makes an unexpected appearance on an Australian beach, having traveled thousands of miles from its Antarctic home.

Locals were astonished when an emperor penguin was spotted on an Australian beach, having embarked on a long journey from Antarctica, covering thousands of miles.

The penguin was found on Ocean Beach in Denmark, Western Australia, last Friday, as reported by Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in a statement issued to Dinogo on Wednesday.

A spokesperson from the DBCA noted that the penguin was in poor condition, describing it as 'malnourished,' and mentioned that it is under the care of a certified local wildlife carer.

According to a spokesperson, the rehabilitation is expected to take several weeks, with assistance from a DBCA officer overseeing the care process.

Ocean Beach lies over 2,200 miles north of Antarctica, indicating that the penguin likely swam a considerable distance to reach Australian shores.

Belinda Cannell, a research fellow at the University of Western Australia, told ABC News this is the first recorded sighting of an emperor penguin this far north.

Cannell suggested that the penguin may have been carried by ocean currents traveling north from Antarctica.

Cannell explained to ABC that emperor penguins typically follow ocean currents to find various food sources.

She suggested that perhaps these currents have shifted further north toward Australia, leading the penguin to venture farther than usual.

Local surfer Aaron Fowler shared with ABC that he witnessed the penguin emerging from the sea.

Fowler described the penguin as 'massive,' far larger than a seabird, and recalled wondering what it was as it emerged from the water, its tail resembling that of a duck.

'It waddled straight up to us, an emperor penguin standing about a meter tall, and it wasn’t shy at all,' Fowler added.

'He tried to slide on his belly as if it were snow, but ended up face-planting in the sand. He quickly stood up and shook off the sand,' Fowler recalled.

Emperor penguins are the largest and heaviest of all 18 penguin species. They can weigh as much as 88 pounds (40 kilograms) and grow up to 45 inches (1.1 meters) tall.

A female emperor penguin lays a single egg each breeding season, which she transfers to her male partner for incubation while she hunts for food for about two months.

Although emperor penguins are only found in the wild in Antarctica, they are increasingly endangered due to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Emperor penguins depend on sea ice to build their breeding colonies, evade ocean predators, and hunt for food. However, as global temperatures rise due to greenhouse gases, the sea ice they rely on is disappearing.

A study published in August 2023 revealed that in the Bellingshausen Sea, located west of the Antarctic Peninsula, four out of five emperor penguin colonies failed to produce any chicks in 2022, following a massive loss of sea ice.

This widespread 'catastrophic breeding failure' is the first of its kind, according to the report, which also highlights dire forecasts that over 90% of emperor penguin colonies could become 'quasi-extinct' by 2100 due to global warming.