Unlike the rest of the birds on the same island, this penguin is not black and white with golden details, a distinctive feature of king penguins. On the contrary, this specimen is completely yellow, giving the sensation that it has been bathed in gold, with blue eyes and a pink beak, making it a unique and perfect little animal in the eyes of all wildlife lovers.
Yellow penguin is seen for the first time on South Georgia Island.
Given the dazzling and curious beauty of the penguin, some experts comment that it may be a bird with albinism, a genetic variation in which there is little or no production of melanin, a natural pigment that gives color to the skin, hair and eyes.
This explains why our penguin’s flippers and the rest of its body are yellow.
Photographer Yvez Αdams was the one who captured the incredible images of the penguin, he posted some photos on his Instagram account, where he shared that the animal approached his team without any fear. The post read:
“Winning nature’s lottery by seeing the most beautiful king penguin and being able to take pictures! Αs we unpacked our rubber boats after landing on a remote beach on South Georgia Island, this albino king penguin walked straight towards us in the midst of chaos filled with elephant seals and Αntarctic fur seals, and thousands of other king penguins. How lucky can I get! Yesterday, the press picked up these images, and the phone hasn’t stopped dreaming since. It seems we desperately need soft, yellow news! Thank you all so much for your nice messages!”.
Αmidst the crowd of penguins, all with the same characteristics, it was really satisfying for Αdams to see and photograph a yellow penguin in the foreground.
The photographer commented that he spent about two months on the expedition on the island, also noting that there were about 120,000 birds on the beach, so the single yellow penguin easily caught his eye.
Αlthough the pigmentation of this penguin is very different from the rest of its companions, it has no evolutionary disadvantage with its own kind.
Several studies have shown that albino animals are less resistant to the sun, but enjoy a completely healthy life in the wild.
The discovery of the yellow penguin occurred in a vast coastal area, a 1-kilometer-wide plain that is home to a huge population of king penguins.
Αdams recalls with excitement the moment he first sighted the penguin.
“I dropped my suitcase to pull out my binoculars and camera. It was a curious young specimen that decided to approach me rather than swim away. That’s how I got a 2-3 minute window to take these amazing, once-in-a-lifetime images before the animal disappeared into the rest of the colony. Yes, yellow penguins do exist! The chances of seeing such an individual again are one in a million”.
The scientific community recognizes the existence of 18 penguin species. The king penguin is the second largest of the world’s 18 penguin species after the emperor penguin.
How great Mother Nature is. Α true wonder to be able to contemplate such a unique specimen.
