The secret lives of penguins, seals and seabirds were showcased on Monday evening in the first ever virtual lecture by an incoming Nelson Mandela University professor.

Prof Pierre Pistorius, who is a senior lecturer and researcher in the NMU zoology department, sketched his studies in far-flung corners of the world and his thesis that “sentinel” charismatic flagship species can be used to gauge the health of largely invisible species and processes in the face of climate change and other threats...