The penguin has a distinctive feather color due to a genetic mutation devoid of pigmentation.
Meteorologist Barend Becker is capturing footage of an unusually white Adelie penguin, Story Trender reported on January 16. Although the hair on the back is not as dark as the normal hair, it is still cheerful and fits in with the herd.
“I heard about this penguin from other explorers. They saw it the week before. It was the last day before the icebreaker Aurora Australis arrived, also the last and only chance. My best chance. visit to Gardiner Island to observe this rare penguin, “Becker says.
He arrives with the herd every October and November, during the breeding season. The animal is fairly well known to scientists at the Davis research station in eastern Antarctica.
“The penguin returns to a fixed location each year to breed and has been caught by many previous expeditions. It carries a rare genetic mutation called leucism which causes a lack of pigmentation. The animal’s beak and eyes are still pigmented. “, explained Becker.
