A female penguin caught the attention of researchers at the González Videla Base at Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay, Antarctica on January 4, 2024. She is almost completely white because of leucism, a genetic mutation that causes partial loss of pigmentation in an animal.
Leucism is not dangerous in and of itself. However, it makes a penguin stand out among a colony of black and white penguins with bright orange beaks, making it easier for a predator to hunt it.
In water, penguins are hunted by killer whales and leopard seals. On land, healthy adult penguins have no natural predators but their eggs and chicks are eaten by other birds including giant petrels and skuas.
The penguin recently spotted at the González Videla Base belongs to the Gentoo species. Gentoo penguins have orange-red bills and feet and a band of white feathers extending across the top of the head from just above each eye.
Of all penguins, Gentoo penguins have the most prominent tail, which sticks behind and sweeps from side to side as they walk. With around 300,000 breeding pairs, they are the least numerous penguins in Antarctica, according to the British Antarctic Survey.
Adult Gentoo penguins range in size from around 11 to 17.5 pounds, They are the third largest living penguin species, according to the Australian Antarctic Program.
CONAN Daily 